


The Things That Drive Us

by the_impatient_panda



Category: Kim Possible (Cartoon)
Genre: AU, Agent Kim, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Post-Canon, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-25
Updated: 2020-07-24
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:40:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 40,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25497757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_impatient_panda/pseuds/the_impatient_panda
Summary: Kim's the top Agent at the GJ, and never stops moving...until an old blast from the past shows up asking to cut a deal with a package in tow.WARNING:INCOMPLETE Some fleshed out scenes, some skeleton dialogue, a few sections that are just basic notes. Love or hate it at your own risk! It's still 135 pages long, so there's definitely some juicy bits worth diving into.
Relationships: Kim Possible/Ron Stoppable, Kim Possible/Shego, Shego (Kim Possible)/Original Character(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 23





	1. Part 1

Kimberly Ann Possible stood at the front desk of the Global Justice office, signing off on her most recent mission and handing over custody of Senor Senior, Jr. and looking forward to some food, rest and being clean. It had been almost 24 hours since she’d seen a bed, and more than 48 than she’d managed a shower. There had been some military-issue ration type meal in last day and a half of tracking down and stopping the villain’s latest scheme, but her stomach informed her in no uncertain terms that whatever it had been it was no longer doing it’s job. 

“Agent Possible, Dr. Director wants to see you,” her assistant said.

“Sure she does,” Kim replied in the tone her assistant had come to recognize as ‘hell no.’

“I think you should go, ma’am. Really.”

“Then I will. After I’ve eaten, showered and slept. And possibly not in that order.” Washing blood, oil and dirt from her sheets was a pain, but sometimes sleep had to come first. 

“But, ma’am, she-”

“Agent Possible, there you are. Come with me.” Dr. Director, striding down the hall.

“No thank you, ma’am. I’ll see whatever it is you want later.”

“Oh, well, in that case I guess Shego will just have to wait.” Quietly, so only Kim can hear. 

Pauses. “There’s been a sighting?”

“She’s here. In headquarters. And she wants to talk to you.”

-090-

Kim got at least a five-minute wash in the locker room, clean clothes and a sandwich with a black coffee to wash it down. Sleep would just have to wait. 

As presentable as she was going to be without returning home, Agent Possible entered the holding cell. 

There were no visible guards about, but honestly they wouldn’t be much good if Shego decided to escape. The villainess sat at the bare table beside a smaller, hooded figure whose face was lost in shadow. The woman looked, well, strangely ordinary compared to how Kim had usually seen her. 

Shego’s long black hair was braided tight against her skull in a long tail, the better to fit under the ballcap she wore, and her clothes were of the jeans and hoodie sort that everyone wore with no real memorable characteristics. A far cry from her bold green and black suit of old. She was lost in thought as Kim sat across from her, and only came back to the present when her visitor spoke.

“Hello, Shego. It’s been awhile.”

Her smirk, at least, hadn’t changed. “Princess. Miss me?”

“Well, I’m glad to see you aren’t dead in a ditch somewhere,” Kim admitted with a shrug, hiding her yawn behind one hand. “Sorry, just got back from a mission. So, what’s so important that you come out of hiding after a year of nothing and want to talk to me for?”

“I want to strike a deal.”

“You’re turning yourself in. Just like that.”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“Reasons. Most of which I can’t say until I know if we have a deal.”

“Shego, you’ve been in this game even longer than I have. You know both sides. Do you think that’s enough for me to work with?” She’s being too blunt, but she’s tired and doesn’t care.

Shego considers this. The figure beside her starts to move. 

“No. Don’t say anything. Don’t do anything. Not until I’ve got this settled. Nod if you understand.”

The figure nods.

“Good.” To Kim. “I will surrender entirely to the Global Justice force. I will swear, on pain of death, to no longer live a life of crime. I do have things I want in return. I will also agree to wear neutralizers, which I have plans for with me, to negate my plasma-based powers, and I will agree to any deal that shortens my sentence for ‘community service’.” Slight pause. “You will also receive something of great importance to me. Something that can’t be replaced. Something that  _ must _ be protected.”

Kim’s eyes flicked to the hooded figure, but Shego’s steady gaze betrayed nothing. 

“And...they are...?”

“Staying with me. They will also surrender to Global Justice, though I’m fairly sure there’s no record of them committing a crime?” Glance at the figure, who shakes their head.

Kim knew Dr. Director was listening. She was always listening. Hitting the com button, she asked, “Ma’am?”

Contingency babble on them finding everything she saying being the truth, they accept. 

“So,” Kim Possible, exhausted beyond all reason, asked with unusual abruptness. “Who is this and what’s so important that you’d turn yourself in?”

Shego turned to the figure and nodded. The hood came down, and familiar emerald green eyes peered out of a young, tanned face with long, black hair.

“She’s Esmeralda Santiago. Someone is trying to capture her, and she’s my daughter.”

-090-

Kim had opted for a nap in her office. It really wasn’t a healthy habit, but she had stopped caring about those things when...well, some time ago. The cot wasn’t terribly uncomfortable, and she kept in shape to where the soreness that came from the cramped quarters was really just a minor nuisance. 

Four hours later, a knock at the door woke her up. Dr. Director entered, a sheaf of papers in hand. 

“Knew it,” she said when she spotted Kim on the floor. “I told Marcie you wouldn’t go home.”

“What do the test results say?”

“Definitely her daughter. There’s apparently some very interesting quirks in Shego’s DNA, and her daughter definitely has them.”

“Wait, does that mean...?”

“Latent was the term used by the scientists. As in, she could one day but not right now.”

“I suppose that’s a relief.”

“The neutralizers should work, too. Apparently Dr. Drakken made them some years ago, not realizing they were intended for her daughter should she suddenly start throwing fire about as a toddler.” Shrugging. “And the engineers think we’ll be able to hide a tracking device, biometric reader and tranquilizer inside, should we require them.”

“Are they settled?”

“In a LTH cell, yes.” Holding up another file. “I want to send you to Ecuador. That is where Esmeralda has been hiding with her father this last decade.”

“Where is he now?”

“Supposedly, dead. That’s why I’m sending you down there, to find out more. I’m assuming you’d like a chat with Shego before you go?”

“It would help.” Rubbing a hand over her eyes. “What time is my flight?”

“I’m sending you on one of the GJ planes, so you have room to bring anyone or anything back you may need. It just so happens to be the one equipped with an actual bed, so you might not look like a zombie by the time you arrive. I’ll also be sending a few of the boys along as backup, but you shouldn’t need them to do more than stand around and look intimidating. This is, after all, just as recon mission.”

“Thank you, Dr. Director. Is Marcie outside?”

“Another sandwich and coffee?”

“Yes, please and thank you.”

“I would recommend a shower as well. You’re starting to get a bit ripe.”

“Yes, thank you Dr. Director. I am aware.”

“Carry on then. I look forward to hearing what you find.”

-090-

Shego was nowhere in sight when Kim entered the apartment-like suite, but her daughter was. The girl popped to her feet, a wide smile on her face as she approached at speed.

“Hey,” Kim said uncertainly, trying for a smile she didn’t much feel. “I’m-”

“I know who you are,” the girl cut in quickly, pulling out a magazine and pen from behind her back. “I’ve been following you for years! Will you sign this for me?”

It was a special edition copy of TIME where Kim had been named Person of the Year back in highschool for saving the world. 

“Uh...sure,” Kim said, accepting both items and signing her name where it could be seen against the lighter background. “So...you’re a fan?”

“Yeah! Everyone knows about Kim Possible.” Beaming smile. “I even had all your trading cars in elementary school!”

“I have trading cards?” Still not sure how to take a Shego mini-me fangirling over her.

“It was a South America thing,” Shego said as she entered the room, looking more herself in a green shirt and black pants. Her hair was still severely braided back, though. “And done illegally. Not that that stopped them.” Shrugging. “So...you’ve met Emmie.” Who is still standing there adoringly staring at Kim. 

“Yes, I have.” Awkward pause. “She looks a lot like you.”

“Yeah, she does.” To Emmie. “Kiddo...can you give us a minute?” Looking towards the bedroom meaningfully.

“But, Shego, she’s-”

“I know, but...there’s things we need to discuss. Grown up things.”

“I’m not a baby.”

“No, you’re not. But that doesn’t mean you’re ready for everything yet. So...just go for a bit.”

“Can I talk to her after you?” 

Shego looks to Kim questioningly. 

“Yeah, I’ll have a few minutes.”

“Ok.” She leaves sullenly.

“Sorry about that,” uncomfortably shrugging. “Of all the things to get from me she’s definitely stubborn.”

“Look, normally this wouldn’t be my business, but...”

“Yeah. Come and sit, I’ll tell you what I can.”

The chairs at the small kitchen table were more utilitarian than comfortable, but it was less uncomfortable than the ancient couch.

“So, how did you manage to keep a kid hidden from the world for nearly a decade?”

The story was simple enough, when you boiled it down to what mattered. Shego had met Emmie’s father, Manuel, when still working as a hero for Go City on a mission involving stolen artifacts from Ecuador. He had been her driver, guide and translator while she was in the city. Upon her return home they had remained in contact. Over two years, they had visited back and forth...until she was pregnant. 

A pregnant superhero without a proper husband was apparently unacceptable. She left, and went to live in Ecuador with Manuel’s family. But things had been...tense. Shego didn’t go into detail here, but confirmed only that, after having Esmeralda Santia-Go, she decided it would be best to go. Manuel wanted to keep her, and quite honestly Shego had been happy for him to. She knew her life probably wouldn’t be a good one for a kid, and she did want what was best for the tyke. So she’d packed up and left. But she had known that she couldn’t leave completely, not from a child who might carry her abilities. 

Manuel had agreed. So plans had been laid, and as many contingencies as possible considered. She paid for everything, and even visited every few years. Not at their homes, of course, but on pre-arranged vacations where they could all pretend to be someone else. It worked. Or it had, until now. 

“Emmie is bright, so when she turned seven we got her a cell phone. It’s a special one, she can only call two other numbers with it. Mine and her father’s. We had codes that she memorized. Things to say or messages to type if something went...wrong. She got one of those codes from her father. It meant, don’t come home, and go find your mother. The other thing she had was a couple of caches she could get to. Each one had a handful of travel visas, some cash and a burner cell. She did exactly what she was supposed to after getting that message. She sent me a message for an emergency pick-up, and got on a train out of the city. We arranged to meet, and I took her to a safe house. Then I went to track down what happened to her father. I saw the body, Kim. He’s dead. I didn’t have time to figure out who, I needed to get Emmie to safety. So I brought her back to the states, and left Drakken to fend for himself. He knows nothing. It was safer that way. She and I have been traveling since then, but I couldn’t think of what else to do. It’s been a year, and if we stay in one spot more than a few weeks I get this itch like someone is lining me up in their crosshairs from behind. I can’t track down who it is that started this if I’m busy watching her, and I can’t even watch her all the time. I’m only one person, and I didn’t know who else to trust.”

“Well, if you’re going to pick someone I suppose Global Justice...”

“I don’t trust Global Justice. They’re a big corporations, and big corporations go corrupt all the time.” Looking away. “But I do trust you.”

Kim is a bit shocked. “Really?”

“Yeah, I mean...you’re straight as they come, morally speaking. And in so far as I know, you’ve never actually failed in any mission you’ve ever done.”

“Well...”

“Ok, so you might have messed up somewhere along the line, but in the end the job got done, right?”

“...more or less, I guess.” Flushing.

“And you don’t believe in letting innocents suffer. That kid? She’s innocent. Maybe as bent as a corkscrew, she is  _ my _ kid, but she hasn’t done anything to deserve this. I wanted her to have as normal a life as possible. To get to pick who or what she wanted to be instead of being shoe-horned into something against her will.” Looking away. “So you understand, I’m not asking this for me. I don’t regret the choices I’ve made for my sake. Just for her.”

Trying not to smile. “Mm.”

“What?” Suspicious.

“Nothing, I just never expected you to...be a mother.”

“I’m not.” Snapped back, then glancing guiltily at the closed door. “I mean, not the way that matters. This is the longest she’s been with me since she was three months old.”

“But you care about her. I never thought I’d see the day you’d give up an ounce of your freedom for anyone else.”

Shego flushes a bit. “Some things are more important than yourself. This is one of them.”

“Right.” Swallowing her giggles. She really is too tired for this. “Is there anything else I should know?”

“Get a native translator. The area he lived in used a dialect of spanish that’s hard to follow.”

“Do you speak spanish?”

“I do.” 

“I didn’t know that.”

Dryly. “Add it to my dossier.” More quietly. “Officially, in Ecuador, Emmie’s mother is dead. Pregnancy related complications. It was safer that way. The family believes it, so if you go talk to them they won’t know anything about me.”

“Are you  _ done _ yet?” yelled through the door.

“Yes, fine,” Shego yelled back, standing as she did so. “Excuse me as I go hide from the fact that any progeny of mine is a fan of yours.”

“Oh, c’mon Shego, it’s not that bad. At least I’m a good role model.”

The villainess’ face tightens, and Kim winces.

“I didn’t mean it like-”

“I know. You’re the nice one.” Shrugging. “Go on. She’s been hardly able to sleep since I told her we were coming here.”

Kim goes in the bedroom. Even in here she can see the cameras in the ceiling. There’s one double bed for the pair to share. Emmie is sitting on it beaming. 

“So, you wanted to talk to me?”

“Yeah, I have some questions about some of the missions you’ve been on.”

“Go ahead.”

Thirty minutes later, Kim had to shut off the deluge. She had two messages from Dr. Director saying she had better be almost done, and the second had included language that wasn’t appropriate for a twelve year old to hear. 

“Look, I really have to go, but I should be back in less than a week and we can talk more then.”

“You’re leaving on a mission?”

“Yes.”

“Where to?”

“I can’t tell you that.”

“Oh, right.” Grinning big. “Well...can you tell me about it when you get back?”

“Maybe. We’ll see.”

“Ok.” Hopeful. 

“Take it easy, and I’ll come see you when I get back.”

“Promise?”

“Yeah, I promise.”

She waves at Shego on her way out the door, and hears the bolts in the heavy steel frame slide into place as it does. 

-090-

“So, did she live up to your expectations?” Shego asked as her mini-me plopped on the couch next to her. “The Amazing Kim Possible.”

“Nope.”

“Really?” Trying not to sound pleased. “Well, you know what they say about meeting your heroes..”

“She was  _ even cooler _ !”

“Ah.” Rolling her eyes. 

“She looks  _ so awesome _ in her uniform, and her hair’s even longer now that it was in the pictures! And she was totally chill, like, not even caring that she’s famous or anything. Seriously, if I were her I’d never be able to stop acting like a spaz with everyone watching me all the time-”

Shego tried not to groan.

-090-

Kim was not sure what she was expecting, but it certainly wasn’t what she found. 

Manuel Ramirez Santia was buried by now, his family having claimed his body soon after it’s discovery. The coroner reports, though, were handed over to the GJ force with hardly a grumble, as was the police report of the scene of the crime. When she discovered that the entire property had been seized as evidence, she wasn’t surprised. The house had been up a mountain, with a beautiful view of the surrounding countryside. A year later, it was now fully fixed and in the hands of the local police chief who used it as a vacation home. The case was filed under ‘unsolvable’ citing possible ties to local gang activity. 

Kim had ordered every piece of physical evidence from the house loaded up and transported to her plane. There was surprisingly little resistance. Indeed, the police seemed glad to have it out of their hands and into someone else’s. 

Which just left talking to the family. 

Luciana Santia was a pleasant woman with skin like leather and hair white as snow. She welcomed Kim into her small home on the outskirts of small town, and listened as the agent explained her errand. 

“Yes,” she said after a time. “I am Manuel’s mother. You do not have word of his daughter, do you? Our Emmie? No one has seen or heard from her since...”

“I can tell you she’s safe,” Kim said quickly, wondering if Shego had even considered allowing her to call her relatives. Probably not. “Though I can’t say where.”

“The bad men who killed her father, of course.” Shaking her head. “That woman, her mother...she was bad luck on him, and bad luck on his daughter. He moved away for her, left his family and his home. And how he is dead, like she. When will Emmie come home, Agent Possible?”

“I couldn’t say, ma’am. There are a great many things to consider.”

“But she is safe?”

“Yes.” Thinking fast. “I may be able to arrange a phone call this evening...” It’s a peace offering.

“You could?”

“Maybe, but I need information, Mrs. Santia. About your son. About who might have done this to him.”

The old woman frowns. “He was a good man. An honest man. No one had reason to quarrel with him. He worked hard, and was respected by all who knew him. I cannot tell you who would have done such a terrible thing to my son, or why they would do so.”

“So...nothing odd happened before his death? No one said anything about strangers in the town, or strangers around your own home?”

“No, no.” Waving her hands. “We see strangers. We notice strangers. Everyone here is known to everyone else. Whoever did it was very careful not to be seen, and therefore wasn’t. It must have been so, because no one who lives here or in his town would have done such a bad thing.”

“I’m sorry, I know this must be very distressing for you.”

“Distressing? My son is dead. My granddaughter is missing. My heart is broken, Miss Agent. Can you find the men who did this to my family?”

“We are going to do our best, yes.” 

*Throw in more details about the conversation. Then Kim calls Dr. Director.

“They want to speak to Emmie.”

“Did you confirm we have her?”

“I said that I knew she was safe, but that was all I could say. They seemed to understand, which makes me wonder why they didn’t question it more. I think it would be a good idea to let them talk.”

“Shego may not allow it.”

“So let me talk to her. If she really wants us to find whoever did this, we’re going to need more than the bits and pieces we have so far.”

“Hang up this line, and if she agrees to talk to you I’ll have it patched directly to your com.”

“Yes, ma’am. Agent Possible, out.”

The call came less than a five minutes later.

“I don’t like it, Princess.”

“I didn’t ask if you liked it,” Kim retorted, bristling at the lack of greeting. “Hi to you too.”

“Oh, I didn’t know we had time for pleasantries.” Sarcasm in waves. “How’s your day going, then? Enjoying the weather in Ecuador? Tried drinking the water? I’ve heard that’s a lot of fun.”

“Ha ha. We need more clues, Shego. I think Luciana is hiding something. I need to give her the chance to speak to Emmie.”

“...fine.”

“I’ll set up the call on my end, then. It’ll probably come through in a hour or two. Someone will probably come and coach Emmie on what she can’t say.”

“Yeah, fine.” 

“I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important.”

“I know.”

“Ok, then. Anything else?”

“No, I think that covers it.”

“Ok. Bye.”

“Bye.”

-090-

*There is a translator for all of Kim’s conversations with Luciana Santia

Kim didn’t listen to the conversation. It was would have been rude to openly listen, even if she could understand what was being said. A translator did listen in unknown to either of the two conversing parties, transcripting the call for later, and at the end Luciana handed Agent Possible the borrowed cell phone and sighed.

“Are you convinced at least that she’s safe,” Kim asked, uncertain what else to say.

“I suppose, yes. I would like to see her...”

“I can’t make any promises, ma’am.”

“I know, I know.” Her face crumples. “That woman. That  _ evil _ woman. This is her fault. I know it is.”

“What evil woman?”

“Her mother! She came from America, though we only met her a few times. She was...strange. Different. Her skin was...wrong. And then she died. I was so happy! But my son refused to move home, to bring his daughter to us to raise. He kept her there, on that mountain, alone. And now, now...” She is crying now. “She was a witch, I tell you!  _ A witch _ !!

“What do you mean?”

“She didn’t know I saw. The green glow. The fire that came from her hands.  _ She was evil _ ....!!”

Kim doesn’t know what to stay.

“You don’t believe me. No one believed me! I told my son, and  _ he laughed!!  _ Like it was a joke! And now, and now....!!” Sobbing now. 

“I think it’s best for us to leave.”

So they go.

-090-

Kim starts to sort through some of the physical evidence while flying back, because the boxes are just stacked everywhere. She finds, buried in the rest, a photo album. It’s mainly of Emmie and a man she assumes is her father. The man looks surprisingly like Senor Senior, Jr. which actually makes sense. Shego always had a soft spot for him. In the end, she plans on advocating for everything not essential being given to Emmie for her own memories. 

She also reads over the transcript of the conversation between Luciana and Emmie. Luciana asked for Emmie to tell her where she was, so they could come get here. Emmie refused. Luciana asked where she was, generally. With family? With friends? Emmie refused to say. Luciana told her she missed her father’s funeral, and that was shameful. She should come for the Day of the Dead to honor his memory with the family. Emmie can’t promise anything. Why didn’t Emmie go to her family? Why did she run away? What is she afraid of? She refused to answer. Luciana was not happy, and said so in so many words. Emmie was very polite and respectful, but steadfast. No, she could not tell her grandma where she was. No, she couldn’t come home right now. No, she didn’t know when she would be able to. Yes, she was sure she was safe. No, no one was making her say these things. 

It ended when the grandmother had spat (and the translation specifically mentioned the vehemence with which she spoke), “If you were less like your mother and more like your father you would be an obedient granddaughter!” Then, she had hung up. 

She hoped Shego was being supportive. It must have been hell.

-090-

Shego didn’t know what to do with the creature beside her. It looked like her daughter, but she swore it wasn’t acting like a person. People made sense, even the crazy ones if you knew how to approach them the right way. And Shego had a lot of experience with that. This, though, this was something else entirely.

It had been going on for months. Well, a year really. Since she had met her daughter at a bus terminal outside of _______ with only the clothes on her back and her small rucksack with a few necessities, her cash and her multiple IDs. Shego had chartered a plane home, regardless of the paper trail, landing in an extremely busy airport with a dozen possible escapes. The taxi from there had taken them further into the city, and from there they’d ridden a bus, then the subway, walked a couple of miles, and finally bought a used car for cash. It wasn’t off a lot. 

Craigslist, Shego had thought as they’d loaded into it and driven away. A girl’s best friend. 

Two weeks later they’d dared spent more than twelve continuous hours in one spot. 

Two months later, they were stopping for almost a week at a time. 

It was summer, which helped. They blended into the hundreds of tourists swarming popular destinations, and it became a sort of a mini-vacation. 

And through it all, her daughter always smiled. 

Even when Shego had confirmed as gently as she could that yes, Manuel was dead, and it wasn’t safe for her to go home, the girl hadn’t cried. Her face had been a mask for a time, and then...smiles. Bright, sunny hollow smiles as though to do otherwise would be death itself. The villainess had quickly learned that bringing it up only brought either long silences or the radio being turned on at full blast to drown out her words. Given her own preferences on how to deal with crap, she hadn’t had the heart to force her daughter to do anything other than...deal with it herself. 

When they’d discussed, two weeks ago, the possibility of Shego turning herself in Global Justice and -by extension- Kim Possible, it was the first genuine smile she’d seen on the girl’s face in months. It was, ultimately, what had made her decide it was the right thing to do. Kim Possible, the girl who saved the world. Maybe she’d be able to save them, too. 

Well, her daughter. Shego was fairly sure villains of any sort didn’t deserve saving. 

The conversation with Luciana Santia stuck in her mind like bit of corn wedged between her teeth. The woman had always had a viperous tongue, quick to point out perceived flaws and weaknesses. She had loved her son, though. Loved him dearly. She would have given him the moon and the stars, had it been in her power. 

Shego had only met the woman...twice? Three times, perhaps. The raven-haired woman had been under no illusions as to how her presence was received. She was not Ecuadorian. Not even a native Spanish speaker. Nor religious in anyway. The marks against her had quickly stacked up. She was too pale, too picky about food, too revealing in what she wore, too quick to give her opinions. 

Manuel had born with it better than her. It was one reason the marriage hadn’t worked. He had accepted that his mother was his mother and there was nothing he could do about it. She had wanted him to leave, preferably with her, and never see the old cow again. She could still remember the look on his face when she’d said so. He’d been shocked. Really and truly shocked to his core. Then he’d realized she never meant to contact her own family again, not even to tell them about the birth of their daughter. 

In time, he’d come to understand at least the second part, but the first had forever been a point of contention. 

Still, her daughter had just taken a verbal beating from a woman who should have been a support in her life. Who should have been glad to hear from a granddaughter who went missing for a year after the death of her father. Instead she had been full of demands. If not for the neutralizers that now rested on each wrist (GJ did not mess about) she might have torched the phone. 

Damn her. Damn all of them. 

And damn herself most of all. 

“Emmie,” she said, entirely uncertain of what else was about to come out of her mouth.

Her daughter must have sensed it.

“Can we watch the reruns again?” she asked, pointing to the TV. 

The TV was an old tube one, hooked up only to a small box. The box held copies of several old TV shows that could be accessed with a remote. Emmie had found the cartoons the first day, and been fascinated by Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and the rest of the Looney Tunes Gang.”

“...yeah, sure.”

At least it was violent. Which suited her just fine. 

-090-

“So,” Dr. Director said as she met Agent Possible in her office to get her report. “Not much then.”

“No,” Kim agreed tiredly. “Not much. The physical evidence may yield more once in the hands of the scientists. I understand there are several samples of blood, fingerprints, and other sorts of things that were never identified after the fact.”

“Hopefully it was properly processed the first time around.” Grumbling. “A  _ year _ . Why she waited that long...” Shaking her head. “At any rate, we have more to go on than we did before. You’re being stood down for a week on active missions. For one, you still look like hell. You need at least a handful of days strung together where you’re sleeping and eating properly again. For another, I want you to spend time with Shego and Emmie. Shego has already made two other agents leave her quarters in tears, and Emmie just politely refuses to speak to anyone at all. Different approaches, same result. We’ve got to dig a little deeper into this, and that means someone working that angle. If you can think of any agent you might bring along to bond with them too, I’m open to suggestions. The mothering type and the best buddy type have both been thoroughly rejected.”

“I could have told you that.”

“Well, you weren’t here, were you?” Sharply.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Right. Go home and rest. You’ll start your light duty tomorrow.”

-090-

Kim opened the door of her apartment, knowing the moment she did that she’d forgotten something. 

Her refrigerator. 

The smell was  _ awful _ . 

Holding her breath, she emptied everything inside into a trash bag, and quickly hauled it out to the dumpster. Well, at least she could order takeout for dinner. The appliance, though, was hosed down with bleach and left open overnight to dry. Really, why did she bother buying food in the first place? She couldn’t cook, no one ever came over, and more than half of what she got would mold before it was eaten. It happened every single time. 

Still, when she was home milk for her cereal was nice. As was some fresh fruit. Or maybe a cup of yogurt to make her feel less terrible about her diet of chinese and pizza. 

She made a grocery list with a note to go shopping tomorrow on her way home from the GJ office. 

In the small attached living room she saw her answering machine blinking with unheard messages. There were five. Two were her brothers calling for their weekly chat. One was Monique asking if she wanted to meet for dinner...yesterday. She would have to make that up to her. The last two were Ron, wondering in a really long and rambly way if she would let him use her for some experimental dish tasting again, with the caveat that she couldn’t ask what was in them until after the fact. Like, maybe a week later. She would have to think about that. 

The phone was cordless, and she went about gathering her clothes for laundry and checking the rest of her small living space for surprises after being gone a week as she returned the calls. 

The twins were the usual. Secret mission? Sounds fun! Why didn’t you bring us? We did awesome that one time. Our school work could have waited. Yeah, it’s all going well. Tests, study, hang out with friends, pizza, study, more tests, more pizza....yes, we’re getting good grades. Promise. 

Monique was a little more difficult. Kim, stop letting them send you away like that for days on end without word! People care about you and are worried when you do that! I don’t care if you’ve saved the world before, you’re a person not a god! Yes, we need to have dinner. Tomorrow then? My choice, so my treat, and don’t you dare argue or I  _ will _ make your life miserable as only a best friend can!

And Ron was...Ron. Oh, hey KP! Ramble about ingredients that sound foreign. Ramble about a video game. Ramble about a new TV show. Ramble about missing the good old days. Ramble about rambling...it was soothing, in a way. He may have grown taller and a little less goofy looking, but he would always be Ron. In the end she agreed to try whatever he wanted, because...well, he was her best friend, and always would be. 

And then, hanging up the phone, she went into her bedroom. There on her nightstand was a picture of Mr. Dr. Possible and Mrs. Dr. Possible. She got undressed, brushed her teeth, and settled into face them with only a lamp on.

“Hey mom, hey dad. I know I’ve been gone for a few days. You’re not going to believe what happened.”

-090-

Kim made a conscious decision the next morning not to wear her uniform. She choose a pair of jeans instead, and added an old t-shirt and her favorite leather jacket. It was from the days she still drove a motorcycle all the time, early in her college career. Her mother had hated it, which had always been a source of amusement to the young woman. After...well, after, she had given it to the mechanics at GJ who had kept it in working order for her. She didn’t know if they still had it, and refused to ask. 

The looks she got at the office were ignored. If Dr. Director actually wanted her to get anywhere talking to Shego or Emmie, looking like an officer probably wouldn’t help. And she had a spare uniform in her locker if she was wrong. It would have to do. 

Dr. Director was waiting for her in her office, a new file to one side on top of a cardboard box. 

“You’re not in uniform.”

“You want me to put them at ease.”

“True. Do you have a plan?”

“No.” Shrugging. “I’m not going in there with a script, Dr. Director. There’s a reason I don’t usually do interrogations of any kind. I’m not good at pretending I’m making idle chatter.”

“No, you’re honest.” Ironic. “Which is why Shego asked for you. Well, you can be honest about this.” Motioning to the crate. “What the lab rats have found out from the physical evidence, and items they’ve deemed unimportant that Emmie or Shego might want to keep. You’re delivering the lot to them.”

“Do I have any other duties today?”

“There’s a few things you need to finish for your report, and one of the physcologists have asked to speak with you regarding some of the observed behaviors of the pair. So you’ll have two hours with them, an hour or two to finish your report and eat speak to the psychologist and whoever else decides they need you, and then back to see the pair until dinner. I will leave it to your discretion to tell them what you want regarding our intentions towards them. You are the world expert on Shego, and if anyone can decide if she’s being honest it would be you.”

“That’s still in question?” Surprised. “We have her daughter.”

“This is Shego, Kim Possible. She’s wanted in 11 countries, and even taking into account the fact that she’s never committed murder or actually succeeded in any scheme she’s taken part in, there’s still a great many people who want us to turn her over immediately for prosecution. Those same people want to believe that she’s lying, because when hasn’t she in the past, and right now I what I need is proof.”

“I understand, Dr. Director.”

“Then get to it. Saving the world only gets you so far, as you should well know.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

-090-

Shego was bored, which was always dangerous. But there was so little to do in the small suite of rooms. TV only filled the hours for so long, and besides, as soon as she turned it on Emmie would ask for cartoons. For a twelve-year-old she had surprisingly childish tastes, sometimes. Cereal that was more sugar and dye than anything else for breakfast. Chocolate milk with every meal she could get away with it. Shego wasn’t a healthy-eating expert, but she did understand that there was a pretty direct correlation between what you put in your body and how well it functioned. You couldn’t maintain a figure and abilities like hers without knowing that. 

Still, that didn’t at all alleviate her boredom, and so it was relief that flooded her when Kim Possible entered the suite. 

They were warned of someone’s arrival, of course. The warning system went off, and a pleasant voice asked anyone standing in the hallway to back six feet away from the doorway and stand where they could be seen. Shego obeyed, and Emmie popped out of the bedroom to do the same. It had been explained that while the pre-teen was not a prisoner and could request to be released at any time, if she insisted on remaining with her mother it would probably be best if she obeyed all the same rules, just the same. So, thus far, she did. 

Kim grinned over the box, saying, “I come with gifts,” as she set it on the tiny kitchen table. 

“You’re back!” Emmie crowed, and Shego carefully blanked the frown that threatened to appear on her face. She should be glad her daughter was showing actual emotion, even if it was for freaking Kim Possible. “Can you tell me where you were?”

“You can’t guess?” Kim replied lightly. “I figured you would know as soon as your grandmother called. You are Shego’s daughter.”

“Is that a compliment?” Shego, dryly. 

“I’m not sure. The implication is you’re clever, but you did choose to work for Drakken for...a very long time.”

Emmie’s smile seemed to have frozen. “Oh.” Moving on quickly, “What’s in the box?”

“I don’t know,” Kim admitted as she turned back to it. “But it’s yours.”

Emmie opens it up, pulls out a Kim Possible metal lunch box. “My trading card collection!”

“Doy...!” Shego pulls a face, Kim hides a laugh behind one hand. 

“And some clothes...some of these may still fit, too. Can I go try them on?”

“Yeah, go ahead,” Shego said with a shrug. She peeks in herself, then pulls out a photo book. It’s the one Kim was looking at before. Blank faced, she flips through it slowly. 

“Dr. Director wants me to ask more questions,” Kim when Shego glanced up to see her watching. “Especially about him.”

“Thought so. I’m surprised they haven’t tried interrogation techniques yet.”

“They don’t work on you. Not effectively, and the deal you’ve cut on your daughter’s behalf protects you in some ways. She’s not a prisoner, and she has the right to leave at any time. Piss her off by mistreating you unnecessarily, and they lose their hold on you.”

“Princess, language!” Mocking. 

“I’m sure I’ve heard you say worse before.”

“I’m sure you have, but not in front of the kid.” Settling at the table, still flipping pages and motioning for Kim to sit. “Well, go on. Might as well start.”

“Who was Manuel Santia?”

“A damn good man, that’s who,” Shego sighed as she paused on a picture of Emmie’s father kneeling with his toddling daughter in the sand at the beach. The words came in spurts and starts, but put together they formed a picture of exactly that. A scientist who worked a remote weather station in Ecuador, raising and homeschooling his daughter from their home high up on the mountain. A loving father, a dutiful son. Selfless, honest, fair-minded and just. 

“So, pretty much the complete opposite of me,” Shego finished some time later, smirking. Her face couldn’t quite make it convincing, though. 

“Well, you weren’t a villain when you met.”

“No, I wasn’t.” The smirk drops. “I was pretty disillusioned with being a hero, though. The expectations. The constant pressure to be this...icon, and not a person. Not someone with thoughts and feelings of your own. I was already considering leaving when I discovered I was pregnant with Emmie. Unmarried, and the father a no-name foreigner...I didn’t even try to explain it to my family. I packed up, left a note, and disappeared. He welcomed me, and our soon to be child. The birthing conditions weren’t...fantastic, but she and I both survived. I was no stranger to pain, even in those days.” She falls quiet.

“So, if he was so wonderful, why did you leave?”

“It wasn’t for me.” Focusing on Kim again, crossing her arms defensively. “Couldn’t breastfeed, couldn’t do the midnight feedings, couldn’t do the diapers. Couldn’t hardly hold her without feeling like I was about to break her. I just...couldn’t. And he was a natural. I would hold her and she’d cry. He’d just walk into the room and she’d stop. They didn’t need me when they had each other. And...and it was clear that whatever we’d once had was over too. I wasn’t angry about it, he wasn’t either. If not for her, we’d probably have gone our separate ways and never spoken again.”

“How did he take it, when you told him you were leaving?”

“Calmly, and I think with some relief. I didn’t fit in there, and there wasn’t anything for me to do really. He was taking care of Emmie most of the time, I was just...in the way. There was a lot to work out, of course. He understood, before I left, why no one could know who her mother was. He didn’t like it, but we faked my death. He inherited some money from ‘her’, and until Emmie was old enough to walk and talk and start homeschool he had the funds to hire part-time help from the village. He uploaded pictures of her, or short videos, to a shared online server, but I didn’t see her again in person until she was six.”

“Why not?”

“He insisted. He also didn’t know that I’d changed sides after I left.” Looking uncomfortable. “Emmie was the only thing that made the meeting bearable. She saw me and ran up to hug me like I had never left. It was...” She can’t finish. Clears her throat harshly. “At any rate, they both learned the truth. And figured out how to keep it secret to keep her safe.”

“Where did the obsession with me come from?” To change the subject.

Shego rolls her eyes. “Her father. He realized the media had cast us as ‘arch-nemesi’ and, told her when she was seven. She’s been collecting information about you and anything with your face on it ever since then. Like most underdeveloped countries, copyright laws are only nominally followed and there’s all sorts of street vendors selling things they don’t have a right to sell.”

“Why?”

“I have no idea. Every time I ask her she says it’s the only way she could keep track of what I was doing without being obvious, but that can’t be all.” Grimacing. “She even made a...”

“Look, it still fits!!”

Emmie stood there in a perfect replica of Kim’s ‘mission clothes’ from high school. The pants were almost too short, and the midriff baring shirt was clearly too tight, but it did indeed still fit. 

“Oh god...”

“Where did you get that?” Kim asked, impressed in spite of herself.

“I made it!”

“No way.” Impressed, she gets up to circle the girl. “You even have the belt...”

“Yep. Got the dimensions off of the internet, and then cut the leather and pieced it together myself.”

“That’s incredible.” Sincere. “And you sewed the shirt and pants?”

“Yeah. I had to make the pattern for those myself, but there were lots on the internet I could use to help me figure how so it wasn’t that hard.”

“I don’t think I could do that. I got mine from the store.”

“Yeah, we looked but we couldn’t find anything in my size back then...”

“Ah, yeah. The pants were actually from an army surplus store, and those only go so small...”

“It was fun to make it myself. I added hidden pockets in the pants and the sleeves.”

“Really, how?”

“You two have fun,” Shego said as she stood abruptly. “I’m going to...do anything but listen to this.” She took the photo album with her.

Emmie watches her go.

“We can do something else if you want.” Kim, trying to break the silence.

“Why doesn’t Sabela like you?”

“Sabela?”

“Shego.” Looking guilty. 

Kim tucks that away in the back of her mind. “Well, I did spend several years as her enemy.”

“Yeah, but only because she was  _ breaking the law. _ ” Duh!

“Yeah, but...I dunno. She has reasons, I guess.”

“I used to cheer for you all the time.”

“Why?”

“Because I thought maybe eventually you’d beat her enough that she’d stop being bad.”

“You never needed me for that, Emmie. You did it all on your own.”

“Only because she had to.”

“You know, if you ever need to talk-”

Cutting her off. “Are we really being recorded all the time?”

“Yes.”

“Even in the bathroom?”

“The video program includes a special algorithm that recognizes certain patterns of behavior. Unless one of you is exhibiting a behavior that is considered ‘at risk’, then the program blocks you out the moment anything private appears. The people watching the monitors don’t get so much as a glimpse.”

“Can they get around it?”

“Not without direct approval from the Director. And because you’re a legal minor with no standing record of any kind, to access your unfiltered video footage she would need special permission from the government to even allow it.”

“...should you be telling me this?”

“I believe your mom when she says she’ll do anything to protect you, including becoming a good guy. She had to show an awful lot of trust to walk in the front door with you like that. I’m just trying to give you the same.” Grins. “And they’re listening right now, so they know you know. It’s not so much of an advantage if they know you know about it.”

“Ah.”

“So...Sabela, huh?”

“Don’t tell her I let you hear that.” Quickly.

“I won’t. You could call her ‘Mom’, now. She is your mother.”

Making a face. “It feels...weird. Like, I know she’s my mom. I’ve had a picture of her since I was born. But when I first met her, both her and my dad decided I needed to call her something else. So she’s Sabela, a friend of my dad’s we meet on vacation sometimes.” Shrugs. “And after she picked me up...Sabela seemed safer.”

“It probably was.” Shrugging helplessly. “But, I don’t know...it might help.”

“So I can leave, right?”

Kim hesitates, then says, “Yes. Technically. It’s complicated, though. Why?”

“So...if I wanted to go to the mall to shop, or go visit some place...?”

“Well, first, we’d have to talk to your mom. You are still a minor, and as of right now she still has parental supervision of you. But, if she was ok with it, I don’t see why you and I couldn’t take a quick trip out somewhere. GJ would probably give us a security detail to follow along just in case, especially if we find evidence that whoever was after your father is also after you. But...yeah, we could probably make that happen.”

“Seriously?” 

“What? Did you think we were lying?”

“I dunno. I just didn’t actually think you’d say yes.”

“So, where do you want to go?”

-090-

“You can’t be serious.”

“It’s what she said,” Kim replied, hiding her smile. 

“The mall and a movie. It’ll be a security nightmare.”

“So, I should tell her no then?” Calmly.

“Of course we can’t tell her no. What did Shego say?”

“I think she wants to see if we’ll actually attempt it. She also said that I felt it was safe enough to try, she would be alright with it.”

“What  _ do _ you think?”

“I think, with some careful preparation, it should be fine. It’s not a ridiculous demand. As it is, she only has a handful of clothes. We can pick up a few things for her mom, too, if she wants. Everything that comes in can go through security, and you can attach those tracker-tags to everything. Shego will know they’re there, but it’ll be more comfortable than those awful orange jumpsuits, and might earn us a little more good will.”

“True.” Considering. “Have you spoken with the psychologist yet?”

“Yes.” Neutral.

“And?”

“She believes neither Shego nor her daughter have dealt with their grief in a healthy manner.” Grudgingly. “I agree.”

“You would know something about that.”

“Ma’am.” Neither an agreement or disagreement.

“What does she recommend?”

“Counseling. Neither will submit to it, though. Not willingingly.”

“Did she have a second suggestion?”

“If a friend of either can convince them they are not handling their grief well, then it is possible progress may be made without the need for a counselor to intervene.”

“And what do you think?”

“Ma’am.” A warning.

“We will continue to monitor their mental health.”

“Shego is getting bored. That’s not good. And I suspect Emmie will as well before too long.”

“Suggestions?”

“Emmie is fairly simple. She’s been out of school for a year, and while it sounds like she was a grade or two ahead while she was being homeschooled she should restart her classes immediately. I think there’s a state online program she could do with a laptop...”

“We’ll look into it.”

“And a physical activity. For both her and Shego, actually. With the neutralizers on her wrists and her daughter in the same room, would it be possible to allow her access to our gym for an hour or two each day? For one thing, if you do need her to ever actually go on a mission letting her skills go completely to crap isn’t going to help anyone.” Thoughtful. “She’s a talented sparring partner. A few of the guys who are always complaining there’s no new challenges for them would probably find her a delightful surprise.”

“I’ll speak to the head of prisoner security. Something might be arranged at an odd hour when the gym is usually empty. Can the girl fight?”

“I have no idea. But I doubt Shego’s been on the run with her for a year and not taught her at least a few things. A well-placed elbow or knowing how to duck out a grip can be the difference between capture and escape. Even if she hasn’t, though, I still think we should.”

“You know there’s going to be some fuss if I do this. ‘Giving away our secrets of the trade.’” 

“That’s bullshit, ma’am, and you know it. There’s a reason Shego was and still is considered one of the most dangerous criminals on the planet. Her martial arts skills are vast and varied, and even if I wouldn’t call her a master of any particular style, I would say she’s a fighter who’s honed her skills to an almost obsessive level. If any of the instructors have anything new to teach her, it would certainly keep her occupied for a few weeks. And you could argue it’s an investment. She’s signed her life away to you, and if she reneges on any of it if she’s ever caught she’ll be dead. She knows that. So, I know she’s a prisoner, but maybe start preparing for the day when she’s not going to be anymore. So she has a reason to stay when she has a choice.”

“Excellent points, all of them.”

“And you’ve already thought of them.”

“Well, all but the homeschooling tip.”

“When will it start?”

“Tomorrow. You can tell them this evening when you go visit.”

“Have the labrats picked anything apart yet?”

“All the blood samples are of two men. One we know is Manuel’s. The other is unknown. Manuel did not go down without a fight. Did you look at the crime scene photos?”

“No.”

“Don’t. And that is an order. Nor are we showing them to Shego or her daughter. If they ask, he died quickly. That’s all that they need to know.”

“Yes, ma’am. Anything else found?”

“Some...possibilities. And a piece of strange technology that hasn’t been identified yet. I’ll send a picture of it down to show Shego, see if she recognizes it as belong to Manuel or his assailant.”

“Ok.”

-090-

“It’s a mind control device.”

Kim hadn’t known Shego could lose the greenish tint to her skin. It did not suit her.

“Did it belong to Manuel?”

“No.” Firm and definite. “I’ve seen them floating around these last few years. Evil genius conventions and all that.”

“Right. Let me make a phone call real fast....” Picks up the landline in the tiny apartment. “Patch me through to Dr. Director.”

A few minutes later she hangs up.

“Well, I have some good news at least...”

-090-

The news that school was starting again was not met with enthusiasm. Access to the gym and possibly some ‘fresh meat’ as Shego had put it, though, was. 

Kim stood beside the woman and her daughter, watching as they warmed up and prepared to use the mostly empty room.

“Not going to join us, Princess?” Shego asked eagerly.

“Not today,” Kim replied with a grin. “Paperwork. But maybe tomorrow, or the day after. I leave you in Agent Du and Agent Thomas’ capable hands. Please behave, Dr. Director had to make several problematic promises to get you this privilege.”

“Yeah, I’ll try.”

It was the best she was going to get.

On her way to her office, she reflected on the evening before. 

Security had let her bring in a new release, a rom-com that was popular, and the trio had watched it on the couch with popcorn, pizza and pop while chatting. Shego had made fun of it the whole way through, and Emmie hadn’t been much better though the faces she’d made at the kissing scenes had been pretty funny. When asked what they would have prefered, the answer had been immediate with the two speaking as one.

“Horror.”

“Especially old, cheesy ones,” Shego added with a wide smile.

“Or really old monster movies,” Emmie tagged on eagerly from her seat in the middle. “Dad  _ loved _ those.”

The silence that followed was broken by someone on the screen falling over, and managing to ruin a wedding shower in the process.

“No one is ever that good at falling,” Shego had said in disgust. “Look, if he’d hit the table hard enough to launch the cake humorously onto his best friend, either the table would have broken or his back would have.”

“Really?” Emmie had asked in interest.

“Yeah. I mean, look at the table. There’s no bend in prefab wood, it wouldn’t spring like a springboard...”

The whole evening, apart from that one aside had felt...normal. Natural. Like they were old friends who had done this a dozen times before. Of course, Kim had done such things, with other friends, many times. Why, just last month....well, then the month before....

Well, at some point in the past she had done something like that. Right?

The paperwork was, as always, redundant and mind-bendingly easy. Her assistant came and took away what she was done with, and brought more to take it’s place. And then reminded of her appointment with Dr. Horton in thirty minutes.

“Thank you,” Kim said, not looking up from the stack in front of her. “I’ll head that way in a minute.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

And since Kim always did what she said she would, she finished that stay, put her leather jacket back on and went to see the psychologist. 

“Agent Possible,” the older, white-haired doctor said as she opened her office door. “So good of you to come. Please come sit.”

As if she had a choice.

“Well, we’ll start at the top,” she said as she settled behind her desk and checked her chart. “You’re still taking your medication?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“And you’re sleeping well?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Good appetite?”

“Well enough.”

“Good.”

-090-

“Why can’t you stay for dinner tonight?” Emmie asked as Kim got ready to leave after helping the girl set up her laptop for school work. The internet worked, but it was made clear that Shego was not allowed to touch it and the connection only worked when it was plugged into a specific spot on the wall. Emmie had simply set her desk up there, claiming she didn’t need much space to get everything done. “I wanted to ask you about a few moves Agent Thomas showed me.”

“You can ask me tomorrow,” Kim replied with a shrug. “Sorry, but I already promised to have dinner with someone else tonight.”

“Oh, is that bumbling sidekick of yours still following you like a lost puppy?” Shego, from the kitchen table. She’s been granted a few nail files, and is very happy.

“No, he’s not. He found someone else to follow around. And I’m meeting Monique, a friend from high school. You met her that time you were pretending to be a sub at my school.”

Thinking. “Yeah...doesn’t right a bell right now.” Hesitates. “So, you alright with him finding someone else?”

“Yeah, it worked out the best for everyone,” Kim replied with a half-smile. “We weren’t suited for the long-term. Especially since he wants to be a chef, and I’m now a secret agent at GJ.”

“Wait...was he in a cooking show for awhile?”

“Yeah,  _ Cheese, the Revelation _ .”

“I thought he looked familiar.”

“Wait, your sidekick is who invented the ________?! Those are  _ the best _ !!”

“I’ll tell him you said so. But, really, I’ve gotta go. See you all tomorrow?”

“Sure thing, Princess.”

“Bye.”


	2. Part 2

-090-

“So, new mission?” Monique asked when she had to recall Kim back for the third time a row to their meal and conversation. “Or, please Jesus, a man?”

“Mission,” Kim replied quickly. “And I can’t say anything else.”

“Yeah, I know the drill girl.” Rolling her eyes. “Jumped out of any planes lately?”

“Not in the last three weeks.”

“That might be a record for you.”

“I’m on office duty for the rest of this week, too.”

“You didn’t get hurt, did you?” Worried.

“No, just...things I need to do at GJ. And I’ll probably be around more often for at least a while.”

“For the new mission.”

“Yes.” Thinking. “Say...if I had to take a preteen girl shopping and to a movie, would you want to come?”

“Why would you be doing that?”

“Favor for someone at work. It’s her daughter, and she can’t take her. It’s complicated. Her dad passed away last year. But...she’s a good kid.”

“It could be fun. How old?”

“Twelve, I think. But mature for her age, too.” Thinking. “Lunch will probably be on GJ’s dime.”

“Why didn’t you say so to start with? I’m in!”

-090-

Shego, for the first time in over a week, slept without tossing and turning for hours. She was awakened, though, in the small hours of the night by the sound of crying. Sitting up, she saw her daughter with tears running down her cheeks, still sound asleep. 

Sighing, the ex-villainess awkwardly pulled the almost-teenager close and whispered, “I miss him too. I’m sorry. For...everything.”

Eventually, the tears stopped, and both of them slept. 

And in the morning, neither mentioned it. 

-090-

By Friday, it was routine. Kim came in for a few hours first thing, and just before lunch hour as Shego and Emmie were carted off to the gym while she went to her office to catch up on her work. She met with Dr. Director briefly, to go over what she’d learned, and find if anything else had been discovered. The scientists had been able to confirm that the device was, indeed, a mind control headset. But where it had come from or who had made it was still an unknown quantity. 

Then, back to the tiny apartment to spend a few hours with Shego and her daughter. If she had no plans for the evening, she shared their dinner. Which was, honestly, almost every night.

“You seriously don’t have a boyfriend, Princess?”

“Seriously.”

“Gees, you’ve got to get out more.” 

“So you’re saying I should take Agent Du up on his offer of coffee some time?”

“No, no no no. He’s even more square than you. The two of you together would be unbearable. You need someone who can complement you, not someone exactly like you. What fun would that be?”

“Not very much, probably.” Grinning.

“Exactly.” 

Saturday, Kim spent the morning at home doing laundry, then went into the office for a few hours. 

Shego looked surprised when she saw her enter.

“I thought you had the weekend off.”

“I had nothing better to do, and Emmie wanted to show me something. We ran out of time last night, because you two insisted on watching  _ Dracula _ and  _ Dracula Returns _ .”

“Worth it.” Shego grins. “She’s in the bedroom, knock yourself out.”

“You have something to do?”

“A book. Go on, Princess, I can look after myself.”

So Kim goes. 

Emmie is on the bed, lying on her stomach looking at something.

“Emmie?”

She jumps, then scrambles to close the book scrubbing at her face. “Kim! I didn’t...sorry, I got something in my eye, just a minute...” Trying to turn away.

Kim stops her with a hand on her shoulder.

“It’s like a hole in your chest,” she said simply, looking down at the open book of photos, the smiling face of Manuel or his daughter looking up out of each one. “Because they are a part of you and suddenly that part isn’t there anymore. Losing your father is...unthinkably hard.”

“How would you know?”

“Because mine died in a car wreck, and my mom died with him. And a day doesn’t pass that I don’t wish they were still here.”

The meeting of eyes, the shared understanding. Emmie hugs her hard, and Kim holds her tightly. Crying one one side, silent waiting on the other.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. There’s nothing to apologize for.”

“Emmie,” it’s Shego in the doorway, face tight. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, fine.” Wiping her face, turning away. 

“Ok...I need to borrow Kim for a moment.”

“Yeah, sure, whatever.”

Shego is furious. Kim can tell. She keeps her distance, and they walk to the far side of the suite.

“Fuck you, Kim Possible,” she growled, arms crossed over her chest. “I’d beat you black and blue if I knew it wouldn’t get me and possibly my daughter killed.”

“What did I do?”

“I know you’re the one they want to build a rapport with us. I knew they were going to do that. That’s how it works, that’s fine. But lying? To  _ my daughter?! _ ” Deep breath. “Your parents aren’t dead, Kim. Pulling shit like that on a kid just to try and get in closer? I expect it from the rest, but you? You’re supposed to be  _ honest _ .” Disgust. “Leave, and I don’t want to see you down here again. They can send someone else.”

Kim stood there for a long moment, not even blinking as the words washed over her. She took in a deep breath, then let it out slowly. “If my parents aren’t dead, then it’s certainly news to me. Have a nice weekend, Shego.”

She turned and left. 

Kim was halfway down the short hall to the door when Shego called out, “...wait. Kim, wait. Are you-?”

She shut the door to the lift. 

“Where did Kim go?”

Shego turned to face her daughter.

“Something came up, Tiger,” she said, trying to smile and knowing it wasn’t going to pass muster. “She’ll...she’ll see you Monday.”

“Was it a mission?”

“I couldn’t say, kiddo.”

“...ok. I’m going to do some school work, then.”

“You do that. I’ll be over here if you need help.”

A file arrived with their dinner that night. Shego opened it where her daughter couldn’t see. It held pages printed from a local newspaper detailing the tragic death of Dr and Dr Possible in a car crash caused by a truck driver who had lost control of his double load under poor weather conditions. In all the time she’d been without her powers, now was the first time she truly would have killed to be able to burn them all to ash. Instead, she dumped them into the recycling bin and, away from the sight of her daughter, flipped off the security camera. 

Dinner was quiet, and when Emmie had retired for the night Shego went and picked up the landline that connected her to the security guards. 

“Hello?” a pleasant voice said on the other end.

“Is there a way for me to place a call to Agent Possible?”

“You do not have permission to place outside calls at this time, though your daughter does if you wish to convey a message to her and have her make the call.”

Asshole. “Then can you send a message for me?”

“I can take down a message and have it relayed to Agent Possible at an appropriate time.”

“Right. I’m an ass. And I’m sorry. I’d like to apologize more fully in person.”

“We will convey your request, but Agent Possible is not scheduled to return to the GJ offices until Monday morning and will not receive it until then.”

Double assholes. “Fine. Thank you.” Short and snappish.

“Is there anything else I can get for you, Miss Go?”

“No.”

“Then, have a nice evening.” 

_ Click. _

She was tempted to destroy the phone. Just crush it against the counter until it was nothing more than a useless chunk of plastic pieces. She could. Even without her plasma, destruction was so  _ simple _ ...

“Um...is everything alright?”

Shego turned to see her daughter standing in the doorway, her pjs on and her long, black hair tied in a loose tail. 

“Yeah,” she said, reigning in her temper with a monumental effort of will. “Fine. It’s fine. Just...asking a question.”

“Ok.” Looking awkward. “Could we...look at some pictures together? In the photo book?”

“Yeah. We can do that.” Softening. “I’ll be right there.”

“Ok.”

Shego hangs up the phone and gets herself some water, a bedtime ritual from childhood. Kim was a reasonable, nice person. She’d let Shego apologize, and that would be it. Right?

Right.

-090-

Monday morning, Kim still hadn’t sorted out how she felt. So when Dr. Director called her for a mission that would take her out of the city for a few days, she accepted readily enough. It cut into her week of rest, but to be honest she hadn’t expected it to last. And at least it would give her more time.

-090-

By Wednesday, Shego was about to lose her mind. There had been no word or sight of Kim Possible until that very afternoon, when Emmie had finally asked her physical trainer, Agent Thomas, where she was. The reply had been vague and unhelpful, except confirming that she was indeed away from headquarters and wouldn’t be back for another day or two. 

“I hope she’s alright,” Emmie said as they entered the apartment together after a long session in the gym. 

“Hm?” Shego hadn’t been listening.

“Nothing.” Rolling her eyes, and going to shower. 

Saturday was generally a day of nothing, but Shego’s abilities on the sparring mat had gotten around and the Director approved letting any agents who wanted to give it a go try to go toe to toe with one of the most dangerous criminals ever to regularly escape GJ custody. It would be, in her own words, “a wonderfully humbling and clarifying experience for those who think too highly of themselves.” 

She and Emmie were escorted up to the gym earlier than usual, and she heard someone say, “Agent Possible, you’re gonna give it a go too?”

“No,” Kim replied, and Shego saw her for the first time with her arm in a sling still wearing a uniform with fresh dirt stains. “Agreeing to fight her when you’ve got all your limbs intact is stupid enough. Doing it with one arm in a sling is asking for a beating.”

“Kim!” Emmie launches herself at the redhead, who smiles to see her.

“Hey, kid.”

“What happened?!”

“An accident. It’ll be good as new in a day or two.”

“I said I was sorry.” A young man behind her, looking sheepish.

“It’s fine,” Kim replied, waving her good arm carelessly. “Sitting around for a few days won’t hurt me.”

“Are you staying for the sparring?” Emmie.

“I actually need to check with with Dr. Director, and fill out my report, but I’ll swing by afterwards. Promise.”

“Ok!” Beaming. “I managed a one-handed cartwheel, and I want to show it to you.”

“When I get back, you can.” She suggested cheer tumbling as Emmie’s physical activity beyond self-defense, it’s going really well.

Shego isn’t given anymore time to eavesdrop, the first round is about to begin. 

Time passes fairly quickly, and after she dispatches the first few with surprising speed, she switches to actually trying to tell them their mistakes as they’re making them.

“Oh, don’t even try buttercup,” she said as her current opponent began to do a series of flips before engaging her. “That’s just asking me to do  _ this- _ ” A foot inserted carefully sent him sprawling to the floor. “Save the mating dance for a girl who’s actually interested. Want to try again?”

“Stop. Stop right there. Look at your foot.  _ Look at it _ . There, see?” Kicking him where he’s not looking. “Idiot. I’m your opponent, not your teacher. Stop letting me dictate the fight and  _ do something.” _

“Cheeks a bit pink there, big boy. I didn’t embarrass you in front of your girlfriend, did I? Because, honestly, your stance was embarrassing even before I tripped you to the floor...and there you go again. Thought you boys were supposed to have thick skin, being ‘agents’ and all.”

There’s women watching, but none of them step up to fight Shego. She wonders why. The final challenger taps out, and she goes to sit on the bench on her side. Someone puts a water bottle in her face.

“Thanks.”

“No big.” It’s Kim, and she sits next to her. 

“What happened to your arm?”

“Agent Flotsby tranquilized it by accident, trying to hit a violent criminal we were apprehending. He only grazed me, so it’s just the arm that went numb. It’s a neurotoxin that doesn’t spread far from the site of injection. Still a pain, though. It’ll take a few days to work itself out of my system.”

“Did you manage to keep your target down?”

“Yes. Thankfully, a knee to the head works almost as well. And then he got hit with a dart on accident, so he should be asleep long enough for them to get him in proper restraints. He’s someone else’s problem now.”

“Yeah, I remember those days.” Ironic smile.

“I wanted to apologize.”

Shego pauses. “I’m pretty sure that’s supposed to be my line.”

“I didn’t ask them to send you the file. And when they told me, quite proudly I might add, I chewed their asses out. We weren’t friends then, and I don’t expect you to keep track of my family. That’s always been off limits in our usual run-ins. You’re also right, that it’s not uncommon for an Agent to lie to establish a sympathetic rapport with their target. In the situation, I should have told you upfront, knowing you and your history, about my parents and my eventual intention to discuss them with your daughter.”

“Gees, Princess...we’ve known each other, sort of, how many years now? I came to you  _ because you don’t lie _ . I shouldn’t have assumed you were now. If you were willing to stoop that low, you wouldn’t be you.” Thinking. “So...we’re friends now?”

“Hm?”

“You said ‘we weren’t friends then’, so we’re friends now?”

“Only if you’ll have a goody two shoes as a friend.” Dryly. “It might ruin your reputation.”

“Too late.” Grumbling.

“You really love Emmie.” Statement. “It’s funny, but if nothing else had convinced me of that, you going all mama bear over a perceived threat would have.”

“I’m sure the psychoanalyst is having a field day with it.”

“Probably.” Grinning now. Her face drops into a mock frown. “Oh, seriously girls? Are you replacing me that fast?”

Shego looks up and realizes six or seven other females have gathered around, all agents. “Uh...”

“Agent Possible,” the shortest said as she stepped forward with a smile. “Anyone who can show us how to counter that flip-strike you do is absolutely going to take your place.”

“Oh, that one’s easy,” Shego stuck in, rolling her eyes. “It’s all about leverage.”

“Yes, it probably is, but we can’t figure out where to put the lever,” another piped up, smiling. “And she can’t seem to show us herself.”

“That would be tricky...” Shego, considering. “Trying to explain with no one who knows the other side of it.”

“Do you think we could set up a weekly session?” a black woman asked with cornrows to her waist. “There were several things I saw you do earlier that I’d like to ask about.”

“I thought you had a weekly session with me.” Kim, almost pouting.

“You have missed the last three,” the shortest said, well, shortly. “And now you’re injured. We can’t wait around forever for the amazing Kim Possible.”

“It’s up to Dr. Director, of course.” Shego. “My time isn’t exactly my own, ladies.”

“I think she’ll allow it, with the right persuasion.” They look to Kim. She shrugs.

“Fine, fine, if you want to replace me I’ll talk to her myself.” Pretending hurt. 

“Aww, kitten, don’t pout. I’m sure your friends will still want to play with you afterwards.”

“If my arm wasn’t in this sling, I’d grind your face into the mat.”

“Not even on my worst day could you manage that, princess.”

“There is a ton of footage in the archives that suggests otherwise.”

“I look forward to seeing you two spar, eventually,” the black woman stuck in with a smile. “Though we’ll have to ban the boys from the room or they’ll be useless the rest of the day.”

“If you charge admission, I’ll do it in a bikini with oil,” Shego offered with a grin.

“Not a chance.” Kim.

“C’mon, Princess, I’m broke! They took every penny I have. It’ll be in the pursuit of a good cause.”

“What in the world could you possible need that badly?”

“A decent mattress.” Entirely serious. “Or my back isn’t going to make it.”

“Careful, Shego, your age is showing. Next thing you know, you’ll be needing reading glasses and drinking Metamucil with your orange juice in the morning.”

“And even if that were true, I could still kick your ass, Possible.” Grinning. 

(To the side.)

“Are they flirting?”

(Emmie on the mats.)

“Kim, look!” She’s walking on her hands.

“That’s good!” Standing and walking towards her. “Keep your legs even...yeah, like that. Can you balance on one hand yet?”

“So, you’re sure you want to put up with us once a week?” Agent Thomas.

“If it’s worth the bruises, sure. I’ve got nothing else pressing to do with my time.”

“Sounds good, then.”

-090-

Monique met Kim at the mall, a girl walking alongside her with black hair nearly to her waist and familiar green eyes. Her arm is still in a sling.

“Monique, Emmie,” the secret agent said as she motioned with her thumb. “Emmie, Monique. She actually works in the fashion industry, Emmie, so if anyone can help you find the right clothes at the best price, it’s her.”

“And we’re picking up a few things for Sh...my mom,” Emmie added, flushing at the near slip.

“I’ve got her list, no worries there,” Kim said, patting her pocket. 

“It’s nice to meet you, Emmie.” Monique, smiling. “So, what’re you looking for?”

They go off, Kim follows along behind. Fashion hasn’t been as important to her the last few years, so while she’s not bored she’s not as interested as she once would have been. 

The store Monique picks is a popular one with young teens. She suggests several things, and Emmie goes to try them on.

“So how did you get hurt this time?”

“A rookie made a mistake.”

“You still don’t have a partner, do you?”

“It’s not that big of a deal.”

“What happened to your last one, again?”

“He got married, and left GJ.”

“And the one before that?”

“Traumatized by a mad scientist invention involving chitlins. He works in the cafeteria now, and apparently makes the best haggis anyone’s never tried.”

“And before that?”

“She asked for a new partner, because apparently redheads are unlucky.”

“And before that?”

“I’m just unlucky with partners. It’s no big. Usually, the few backup agents Dr. Director sends with me know to stay out of my way.”

“You should make her assign you another partner.”

“Maybe I don’t want one.” Monique gives her a look. “Partners complicate things. You have to ask for their opinion, let them help make decisions. It’s a waste of time.”

“Because you always know what to do.”

“I am Kim Possible.”

“You’re IMpossible.”

Kim wanders off to get Shego’s requests. They are very specific. The cashier gives her an odd look as she’s checking out.

“You’re sure you got the right size?”

“It’s not for me. I’m helping out a friend.”

“Ah. It’s 2017, dear. You can just call her your girlfriend.”

“She’s not my girlfriend.”

“Who’s not your girlfriend?” Emmie, behind her with her purchases.

“Your mom.”

“I wouldn’t mind.”

Monique’s eyes widen.

“No, Emmie.” Taking her receipt from the clerk. “Do you have enough or do you need help covering yours?”

“I’m good, mi mami roja.” Grinning.

“No, Emmie.”

“I thought you didn’t speak spanish.”

“I think anyone with a passing acquaintance with Dora the Explorer could translate that.” Rolling her eyes. “Are you trying to piss your mom off?”

“It’s fun, sometimes.”

“You are so her daughter.”

-090-

Monique was eyeballing Kim as Emmie left them at the table to use the bathroom. Kim only had to glance up to see one of the four undercover agents shadowing them following at a discreet distance.

“Who is she?” she asked flatly. “Seriously.”

“Someone at the GJ’s kid.” Shrugging uncomfortably.

“And that’s it.”

“That’s it.” 

“This is work, isn’t it?” Lowering her voice. “So why am I here? Camouflage?”

“That and you really are more into fashion than me.” Wrinkling her nose. “Sorry.”

“You owe me later.”

“Pick a night and I’ll treat you to dinner.”

“With Emmie and her mom? I want to see who she wants to hook you up with.”

“No. I can’t do that.”

“Hm. You definitely owe me, then.”

-090-

“I like her,” Emmie said as they got in the car and Kim turned it on. Three other vehicles would be exiting the parking lot around the same time. “Can we do this again sometime?”

“Probably. Did you like the movie?”

“Yeah, actually. Is that really what it’s like, saving the world?” Super hero flick.

“Yeah, sometimes. The fights are usually less...cool-looking.”

“I noticed that some of what they did actually wouldn’t be possible.”

“Good, then you won’t ask me to try and show you how to do them later?”

“Oh, no, I totally want to learn that fancy spin-flip-kick thing the girl did. But just for showing off, not for really using it.”

“We’ll see. Your mom likes being showy too.”

“So...”

“No, Emmie.”

“You don’t even know I what I was gonna say.”

“I have little brothers. I know the look. No.”

“I didn’t know you had brothers! Tell me about them.”

Which, given Tim and Jim, took the rest of the ride home.

-090-

Shego was happy to have clean underwear that fit properly. It was amazing the difference proper undergarments made. No one saw them, but they absolutely affected your mood. The rest of the clothes were nice too, and she noticed a few other items she hadn’t asked for had been thrown into the mix. The comfy grey cable knit sweater was nice, as was the leather jacket and black cargo pants. Something to make her feel like she belonged at GJ? Maybe she did.

Kim was on the couch, arguing with Emmie over __________ when Shego came out of the bedroom.

“So, it all fits?”

“Yeah, thanks. It’s nice to have something else to wear.”

“Those suits are really uncomfortable.”

“You’ve tried them on?”

“There’s been a few times my uniform wasn’t fit to wear home and I didn’t have a spare. I don’t make that mistake anymore.”

“So you wore an orange jumpsuit home.”

“No, they have grey ones that look more like janitor’s clothes for low-end prisoners. I wore one of those.”

“That can’t be any prettier.”

“It’s not, but at least you don’t look like an escaped convict.”

“Thanks for taking Tiger out, too. Did you say thank you?” The words sound strange coming from Shego, and Kim laughs. “What?”

“You, being ‘mom’.”

Shego frowns. “Yeah, whatever.”

“Thank you, Tia Roja.”

“I’ll accept that one.”

“Auntie Red?” Shego, smirking. “Sounds like...”

“Don’t start.” Kim rolls her eyes, Shego and Emmie laugh. They are so related.

-090-

“You still aren’t going to tell me.” Monique.

“It’s not worth my job.” Glaring over her noodles and chicken. “So please stop asking.”

“Alright, alright...she was pretty.”

“Emmie? Yeah, she is.” Focused back on her noodles.

“She look like her mom?” 

“Stop it.”

“We need to take you shopping sometime.” Changing tack. “Can we take her with us? To give a second opinion.”

“Maybe. It’ll depend.” Guarded.

“Your arm’s finally out of a sling.”

“Yeah, finally got all the feeling back in it too. The doctor will probably clear me for full today tomorrow or the day after.”

“And then you’re back to doing dangerous missions, without a partner.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“Yeah, until you get hurt again.”

“You’re overreacting, and if you don’t eat your noodles are going to get cold.”

“I’m trying to watch my carb intake.”

“Then why did we go to a noodle shop?”

“Because you wanted noodles.”

“I can find something on any menu, Monique. You know I’m not picky.”

“About food...” Rolling her eyes. “Any chance of you getting a date any time soon?”

“Probably not. Got a new assignment from work, it’s taking up most of my free time.”

“Have you talked to the twins recently?”

“Yes, I did. They’re both fine, and well on their way to earning their Masters. I’ll probably try and go see them for a weekend in a few weeks.”

“You mean for Thanksgiving?”

Kim pauses. “Oh. That I guess, yeah.”

“Now you’re forgetting major holidays?” Raised brow. “Dr. Director is working you too hard, girl.”

“It’s in my calendar, I would have gotten a reminder a week in advance.”

“Right...”

-090-

“Hey, big sis.” It was the tone that made Kim pause in preparing herself a cup of tea. She preferred coffee, but at this time of night it might actually keep her up. The joys of adulthood.

“Jim,” she said in the well-rehearsed voice of big sister who was sometimes ‘mom’, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong,” he said quickly. “Promise. I just have a favor to ask, that’s all.”

“What do you need?” Rolling her eyes. “Did you and Tim blow your monthly budget again?”

“No, we learned our lesson this time,” he replied proudly. “And since both of us work as TA’s at the university, we have a little extra cash for pizza now and again without skimping on the bills.”

“How often?”

“Only two or three times a week.” Which was actually not as bad as she thought it would be.

“So what’s this favor?”

“Well, Tim and I have this friend, Jacob, and his mom and dad have a year round cabin up in the mountains. He’s invited us and a couple other guys to spend Thanksgiving with him to go snowboarding the whole time. His parents will be there the whole time, and there’s no girls coming so....?”

“Yes you can go,” Kim said immediately. “I know you won’t do anything too stupid. Just remember if you blow anything up or set it on fire, the money comes from your pocket, not mine.”

“Got it, sis. You’re not mad?”

“No.” She’s actually relieved. “I’ve had something come up with work, so...”

“You’re going to work on Thanksgiving Day?” Surprised.

“Just on standby,” she fudged slightly. “They don’t want me to leave the area that long, so you would have to come see me and we all know how that would turn out.” Her apartment is much smaller than theirs, and there’s only one couch.

“Do you have someone you can spend Thanksgiving with? We don’t want to leave you on your own.”

“Yes, I can promise you that. I won’t be alone on Thanksgiving.”

“Ok. Well...thanks.”

“No big. We’ll talk soon?”

“Sure thing, sis.”

-090-

Agent Du was kind enough to inform Shego and Emmie at the gym the next morning that Kim had been called away on a mission, and would probably be gone for a few days. Shego knew it was more for Emmie’s sake than hers, but she appreciated it nonetheless. The agent was not as irritating as she had first assumed, and it helped once he convinced her that his interest truly did only extend so far as a safety spot and occasional assistant in her workout. He was good at holding punching bags, and the one time he had spotted a broken weight clamp when she’d started to lift the bar from the stand. Only his quick intervention had saved her from what could have been a broken foot or worse. 

“Thank you, Agent Du,” she said as she finished up for the day. 

“Will,” he replied, nodding his head. “You can call me Will. Agent Du feels too formal when you won’t let me use ‘Miss Go’.”

“Your name,” Shego replied slowly. “Is Will Du.”

“Yes, miss.”

Yea god, Shego thought as she said, “Thank you, Will.” Where all the parents high when handing out names for their children? Kim Possible. Ron Stoppable. Dr. Director. At least Shego wasn’t her given name, just the one her brother had chosen for her all those years ago. She had made it her own, though, which was why she still used it. 

“You’re welcome, Shego. I’ll see you tomorrow at the usual time.”

“As far as I know.”

Across the room, Emmie muttered something in spanish as she lost her balance and flopped to the mat. 

“You’ll get there,” Agent Thomas said with a wan smile as she helped the girl to her feet. “Give your core muscles time to catch up. You’ve come a long way already.”

“I know...”

“And I better not hear you say that again,” Shego added as she stopped beside them. “I don’t care that it was in spanish, I still know what you said.”

“Yes, Sa...Shego.” Grumbling. “Not like she knew what I said...”

“Actually I did, I was wondering where a young lady like you got such an impressive vocabulary,” Agent Thomas said with a small smile. Emmie turned red. “It’s a GJ requirement. Full mastery of a second language, and conversation abilities in two or three others preferred.”

“Right. Are we all done for the day or did you want to work on something else?”

“She’s done,” Agent Thomas broken in gently. “Much more and I’d be worried about her straining something. She’s not obsessively working out in your...apartment, is she?”

“No, not that I’ve noticed.” There isn’t room.

“Good. She’s young, so she needs to take it easy.”

“She will, then. Thank you, Agent Thomas.”

“If you’re going to call Agent Du ‘Will’, then call me Kathryn.”

Kathryn Thomas, a normal sounding name.

“Or Kat.”

Kat Thomas. Tomcat? Gees...

“Thank you, Kat.” Trying to keep a straight face.

“Thank you Kat,” Emmie adds with a smile. “See you tomorrow.”

“So, what are you plans for the rest of the day?” Their escort falls silently in around them. Shego hardly even notices them anymore. She knows where to go, and Emmie walks beside her step for step. It’s a careful pace, not too fast and not too slow. The guards don’t even acknowledge them unless they feel one of them is about to step out of line. It’s the price Shego is willing to pay for Emmie’s safety, even if it grates on her nerves.

“Homework,” Emmie replied quickly. “I’m ahead, and I want to stay that way. That way when Kim gets back and has time to visit I can ignore my school work if I want.”

“Just don’t work too hard, Tiger. It’s not like it’s going anywhere.” Rolling her eyes.

“I know. What are you going to do?”

“Probably work through more of the tests they want me to take.”

The tablet Shego had been given for the task also contained Candy Crush and Sudoku, so at least if she got bored she had something else she could switch to for a bit. 

-090-

“Tia Roja!”

Agent Possible winced as her name echoed around from the excited preteen’s shout. “Hi,” she said, rubbing her forehead gently. “Miss me much?”

“Only every day,” Emmie said, slowly down as she noticed the bandage about her head. “Are you alright?”

“Just a bump,” Kim replied quickly with a smile. “Although not shouting would help some.”

“Sorry.” Guilty.

“It’s fine, you didn’t know.”

“Gees, what happened this time!” Shego, coming from the other side of the room and trailed by a frowning Agent Du. “Try to tie your shoes and trip on your face, Princess?”

“An accident,” Kim replied with a shrug. “One of the agents along with me tried to help and...missed. It’s not as bad as it looks. The skin is split a little, and head wounds bleed like you’re dying so...” Motions to the bandage. 

“No concussion.”

“A slight one. I have to stay awake for awhile, and then take it easy for a few days.”

“Can you come hang out with us?”

“Yeah, for a bit.” Glancing at Shego. “If that’s alright.”

“You know I couldn’t stop you if you wanted to come.” Dryly.

“Yeah, but I still thought I’d be polite and ask.”

Looking down, and telling herself she’s really not that happy to have Kim come to visit. “You can come.” 

-090-

Shego was at the kitchen table, working through more of the tests on her tablet, when a hissed, “Sabela!” made her look up.

Emmie sat on the couch next to a sleeping Kim Possible, worry evident on her face.

A moment later, the telephone in the room rang softly. Shego hadn’t known it could change its volume or ring. Quickly she moved to answer it.

“Hello?”

“Agent Possible is asleep.” It wasn’t a question.

“Yes. Do I need to wake her up and send her away?”

“No. We rang the Doctor when it was clear she might drop off. She can sleep for an hour, then she needs to be awakened. We’ll send someone down when it’s time to check on her.”

“She said it was a mild concussion.”

“I can only tell you what I was told, that in an hour one of the nursing staff will be down to check on her.”

“Ok, fine. Can I cover her up with a blanket?”

“Let your daughter do it.”

Shego controls her flaring temper. “Right.” Clipped. “Anything else?”

“No, thank you.”

She hangs up the phone.

“Sabela?” Flushing. “Sorry, Shego.”

“You can call me Sabela, Emmie, it’s fine. Please cover Kim up with a blanket from the bed.”

“Ok.”

-090-

Kim woke, warm and almost comfortable despite the crick in her neck, to the buzzer and warning of someone coming down the lift. A few minutes later, a hand was on her shoulder, shaking gently.

“Agent Possible? Can you open your eyes for me please?”

She did so, her training taking over as she stared into the penlight, blinked when asked to, then stood and proved that her balance and coordination were both fine. She counted the fingers that were held up, tracked the pointer as it was waved back and forth across her vision, correctly recalled the day of the week, the president and the year before going on to recite a few tongue twisters out of malice. 

“I’m fine,” she concluded waspishly. “Can I go back to sleep now?”

“Is the couch that comfortable, Princess?” Shego asked from off to the side. 

Kim looked surprised to see her. “What...?” Blinking, she held up a hand to the nurse. “I remember. Sorry, Shego, I didn’t mean to fall asleep here. I was going to nap in my office before making the trip home.”

“The Doctor doesn’t recommend you leave until tomorrow,” the nurse said a tone that clearly said, don’t shoot the messenger. “According to the mission records, you were awake 18 hours before the incident occurred, and then stayed awake a further four before returning to base. As such, the Doctor has decided you are unfit to drive until you’ve rested for a full eight hours.”

“Are you going to wake me up every hour on the hour?” Dangerous tone.

“No.” Quickly. “Unless the pain comes back, or you feel something is wrong, you shouldn’t need to see me again.” Obviously thankful.

“Good.”

“Can you stay with us?” Emmie.

The adults all pause.

“I have absolutely not authority to make that decision,” the nurse said quickly. “I’ll head back now, if you don’t mind? Nurse to the lift, leaving the quarters now.” No one else moves as he goes to the door. It lets him out, and the door shuts behind him.

“What time is it?”

“Around one. We haven’t eaten yet, hungry?”

They settled on pizza. Kim falls asleep again on the couch afterwards. Shego has Emmie cover her up with a blanket, and stays over by the kitchen table. The lack of trust grates on her, but she understands why. She tries not to let it show, and Emmie is happy to sit near Kim and work on some school work. Shego also tries not to be jealous, because why should she be?

Dinner came around six, and Kim still slept. Shego sets her portion aside in the fridge, just in case. At seven she sends Emmie to shower, then goes to get cleaned up herself. By nine, Kim still hasn’t moved. She calls.

“What do I do?”

“Leave her. Director’s and Doctor’s orders. Her vitals are fine, and general scans show deep sleep wave patterns in her brain. If she wakes you are free to inform her that she is not cleared to go home at this time. She can either sleep further on your couch or on her cot in her office. Clean clothes are being sent down the lift if she wishes to change.”

“You’re letting her stay here tonight.”

“Are you implying she isn’t safe, Miss Go?”

“Don’t bullshit me, kid. A few hours ago, you didn’t even want me to put a blanket on her. Now she’s free to sleep down here all night?”

“You are under constant, 24 hour surveillance, ma’am. And, in the Director’s exact words, “the damn girl doesn’t sleep enough as it is, and if she’s finally resting then let her take it while she can.”

“That sounds like something she’d say.” Smiling in spite of herself. “And something Kim would do.”

“I couldn’t say.” But she can hear the smile in their voice. “Anything else, Miss Go?”

“No, thank you.” She hangs up.

“Sabela?” Emmie, from the bedroom doorway in her pjs. 

“Go to sleep, alright? I’m going to stay up a bit.”

“What about Tia Roja?”

“They’ve decided letting her rest is the best thing for her right now. Hopefully the couch is comfortable. Go grab one of the pillows, though, and leave it by her head in case she wants it later.”

“Ok.” She does so.

Shego settles down with her tablet for a bit longer. Or so she tells herself.

It was almost eleven with Kim woke, sitting up with a start in the near-dark of the apartment.

“Sleep well?” Shego asked around a yawn.

“Uh...yeah...what time is it?”

“Elevenish. Emmie is asleep. They said to tell you you can’t go home until morning. You can either sleep out the night on the couch or the cot in your office.” Kim made a face. “Yeah, sorry.”

“What I really want is a shower.” Her stomach growls. “And some food.”

“Then go take one. There’s clean clothes for you on the delivery chute.” Rising slowly. “And I’ll warm up your dinner for you. It’s pasta, so it should reheat well.”

Kim hesitates.

“Really? Fuck, fine.” Throwing her hands up in the air. “Do whatever you want. I’m going to sleep.”

“I just didn’t want to intrude.” Quickly.

“It’s a fucking jail cell, princess. The only two things that belong to me are me and my kid. Not even the clothes I’m wearing are really mine, you got them for with me GJ’s dime. So what the fuck is there for you to intrude on?”

“Reheated pasta sounds great. Are there towels in the bathroom, or...?”

“The one on the shelf is clean. Don’t touch the pink bottle, it smells awful and it lingers for days.”

“Does it look like a travel-size bottle with a dolphin on it? We got those as a ‘try our awesome product’ from some hair company. I thought we’d gotten rid of them all after the building had to be aired out by one damaged box leaking on the floor.”

“Apparently someone decided it was a good way to torture prisoners. I am claiming cruel and unusual punishment.”

“We’ll see about getting that fixed tomorrow, then.”

She gets up, goes to the chute. There’s a uniform and some sweatpants and a t-shirt. She puts the uniform to the side and takes the comfy clothes to the shower. 

Shego reheats the pasta, adds some parmesan, and gets a glass of water. She sits on the other side of the table, still working on her tablet. Kim comes out a short time later, her hair damp and the bandage gone in the sweatpants and tshirt. They’re both slightly too big for her, and Shego quickly looks away after a glance up. She’s too adorable.

“Thanks,” Kim said as she took the other seat, hungrily digging into the food. 

“How’s your head?”

“It’s fine. The split hurts, but nothing else.”

“Where is it?”

Wordlessly, Kim shows her the spot. It’s just inside her hairline on her temple. 

“No bleeding, so that’s good.” Clearing her throat. “How’d it happen?”

“Someone wasn’t paying attention and swung a batton in a melee. He only caught me with the tip, but he should have been more careful.”

“Did your target escape?”

“No, but collateral damage was...significant.” Wincing. “Someone, who is not me, is going to be in trouble for the collapsed building.”

“You exploded plenty of buildings chasing me.”

“Evil lairs are one thing, government buildings closed for repairs are another.”

“Ah.”

“So, I figured something out about you.”

“Hm?” Immediately on guard.

“Sabela.”

“I thought you were asleep.” Frowning.

“Emmie slipped a couple weeks ago. If she said it again today, I didn’t hear it. I really was asleep.”

Shego shrugs. “It’s what she’s always called me.”

“It’s your name.” Grinning. “Elizabeth Morgan Go. That took some digging, let me tell you. Sabela is a variation on your first name popular in some South American countries.”

“Good for your, detective. Proud of yourself?” Dourly.

“It suits you.”

“How?” Incredulous.

“It has style.” Entirely serious. “You’re Shego, hero-turned criminal who has escaped every prison they’ve ever put you in and is wanted in eleven countries. I can’t imagine you going by something ordinary. Like ‘Betty’ or ‘Jessica’.” Shrugging. “Sabela isn’t even the pure form, that would be Isabella. But that’s too formal. Sabela is much better.”

“It’s a name.” Blushing furiously.

“But the right name can be powerful. Kim Possible. It’s catching, sticks in your head, and is probably one of the reasons I got so popular doing what I did. I have wondered if my parents were perhaps thinking straight when they gave me the name. They did it to my brothers, too. Tim Possible and Jim Possible.”

“They did not!” Laughing.

“True story. What’s Emmie’s full name again?”

“Esmeralda Maria Santiago.” Grumbling. “Her father’s idea.”

“Was she born with eyes that green?”

“Yep.” Quietly. “Green eyes and a mass of black hair.” Lost in a memory.

“I’m sure you already know she has latent abilities...”

“Yeah, I figured the labrats would find that. It’s why I lied to Drakken to have him make the neutralizers.” Looking down at her wrist. “Had the tests done under a false name through a lab company in another country soon after she was born. I personally destroyed the files afterwards.”

“Makes sense. Have you told her?”

“No. If they awaken on their own, we’ll deal with that then. And when she comes of age she can make the choice if she wants to try and activate them on her own. But until then, she doesn’t need to know.”

“It’s probably why they’re after her.”

“Probably.” Swallowing. “Get her young enough, train her up...me with no morals would be a hell of an assassin or terrorist to try and stop, Kim. And her father was  _ smart _ . I’m not stupid, but he had real brains. The combination is...terrifying.”

“You’re claiming to have morals, now?” Teasing.

“I have always had lines I wouldn’t cross. That’s a kind of moral, if you want to get technical.”

“So you have ‘a’ moral.”

“I’m not debating ethics with you at midnight, Princess.” Around a yawn. “Emmie likes to get up early. Definitely from her father.”

“Obviously.” Still grinning. “Good night, Sabela.”

“Good night, Tia Roja.”

“Ok, fine, I won’t use it.”

“Thank you.”

-090-

Kim woke to a plastic mug of black coffee on the table even with her nose. A smiling Emmie appeared a moment later.

“Finally,” she said, looking down at the prone redhead. “Pancakes for breakfast. Someone must like you, because it’s usually just cereal and fruit.”

“Of course, someone might be sucking up after she nearly snapped the nurse’s head off yesterday,” Shego added from the table. “Either way, I’m not complaining.”

Kim sat up, keeping the blanket wrapped firmly about her shoulders as she tried to locate her uniform and, more importantly tucked underneath it out of sight, her bra.

“Your clothes are on the side table,” Emmie said helpfully. “I moved them so coffee wouldn’t get on them.”

And of course, her bra’s on top. Kim flushes. 

“Thanks.” Standing quickly, arms crossed over her chest. “I’ll just go change.” Dash for the bathroom.” Being braless around other people has always freaked her out since college. Shego just raises an eyebrow, then shrugs. Emmie looks confused.

“Did I do something wrong?”

“No, tiger. Finish your pancakes before they get cold.”

“Yes, Sabela.”

Kim comes out fully dressed a minute later, braiding her hair back as she goes. She sits, and palms a pill as she settled into eat.

“In pain?”

“No, for something else.”

“Are you going to spend the whole day with us?” Emmie, jumping in excitedly.

“Most of it, probably.” Thoughtful. “I still haven’t seen Dr. Director to make my formal report, and I’ll probably be told to report to the Doctor again and to finish my paperwork.”

“Aww...”

“Sorry, Emmie. I do have to earn my keep.” Grins. “I might even get overtime for sleeping on the couch. There’s something to think about.”

“Yeah, except Big Brother now knows your plan, and will never let it happen again,” Shego said with a wave at the ceiling and it’s many hidden cameras and microphones. Louder, “And if you couldn’t hear it on the microphones, she was definitely snoring.”

“She was not,” Emmie argued in Kim’s defense. 

“Not when you were up...”

“How late did you stay up?”

“Midnight-ish.”

“Your Sabela makes a very good reheated pasta, even if she lies about other people snoring.” Sitting at the table to eat.

“Oh, you wish I were lying, princess.”

Emmie giggles. She couldn’t be happier. And Shego notices, and tries not to be jealous.

-090-

“Sleep well last night?” Dr. Director asked as Kim settled in the chair across from her.

“Better than on my cot, not as good as my bed,” Kim replied levelly. “I’m still surprised you let me stay.”

“A calculated risk,” Dr. Director admitted with a shrug. “The girl is becoming very attached to you, and in some ways so is Miss Go. She certainly speaks more openly with you than she does any of the others. Given the precautions built into the cell, and the progression of your relationship with them both, it was deemed an acceptable risk.”

“You’ve read all the transcripts?”

“Yes, and she wasn’t lying. You do snore.”

Kim rolls her eyes. “Where are we with the labrats? Anything new?”

“A new material in the mind control device has been found. They believe they may be able to identify where it came from, as the places that manufacture it are very rare.”

“Are we chasing the lead on the blood tests?”

“I sent out a notice about it this morning. You think the blood test results weren’t all destroyed.”

“I can’t think of how else they would know about her daughter. Shego covers her trail better than anyone else I know, and if she doesn’t want to be found then  _ you don’t find her _ . It’s always been that way. If she hid her daughter’s existence, how else would they have found out?”

“If you can get the name of the company she used out of her, it would probably help.”

“If I do, she’ll probably know we’re chasing the lead.”

‘It can’t hurt anything at this point.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Doctor Saw has written you out on desk duty for three days and then light duty for a further three. You will not be sent on any mission that could potentially involve an attack for at least a week and a half.”

Kim rolls her eyes again.

“Head injuries are serious, Agent Possible. We take them seriously. If you weren’t you I would send you home to bedrest. At least if you’re here we can monitor how much physical activity you get up to.” Considering. “Of course, if you would agree to a partner you probably wouldn’t be injured as often...”

“There isn’t a senior agent available to partner with me,” Kim replied curtly. “And the new ones are practically children. I was better trained at 15 than some of our new recruits are after graduating from the academy. The rank and file who just come along as support aren’t so bad, but given them the uniform and the badge, and they think they know everything.”

“Careful, Agent Possible, or you may start sprouting grey hairs.” Hiding a smile.

“I don’t need a partner, and you don’t have anyone who could keep up with me if I did.”

“Not anyone free, that is true. Everyone else has been settled for more than a year, and I dislike breaking up a functioning team.” Looking thoughtful. “In either case, do you think you will find yourself bored this next week? Shall I find you something to do?”

“No, ma’am.” Aware that that means grunt work of some kind. “Unless my objective of spending time with Miss Go and Emmie has changed?”

“No. Every moment spent with them is not wasted. We are learning things about Miss Go we never knew, and if she decides to break her word every piece may be vital. Sabela....it does suit her, doesn’t it?”

Kim turns slightly pink. Doesn’t comment.

“The special training requested by the female agents...”

“She’s used to being the only woman in a man’s world, ma’am. She probably has more tricks than even I do.”

“Or at least different ones that may work for someone else.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“She is also uninjured and able to do so immediately.”

Kim frowns.

“Don’t pout. She’s right, that doesn’t suit you.”

She scowls.

“Well, go finish your report on your last mission and get back to Miss Go and her daughter. Emmie is being more than diligent in her studies, and the teacher we have monitoring her progress is impressed with her intelligence. If you want to plan a second outing once you are upgraded to light duty, I will likely allow it.”

“Thank you, ma’am. I’ll ask where she wants to go.”

“Very good, Agent Possible. Dismissed.”

-090-

Emmie had been overjoyed, and immediately asked to go to the aquarium.

“I mean,” she’d said as Kim had written down the details for the request, “I’d prefer the amusement park, but it’s no fun riding the rides by myself. So, I’ve never been to an aquarium, and there’s one close by, right?”

It was technically one city over, but the hour ride was doable. Shego gave her permission immediately if Kim was the one taking her, and plans began to form. They would go on a school day, early in the day when it was fairly quiet. As it happened, a homeschool group was touring that day, and Kim and Emmie were inserted into roster. As it was a community group, they caused no comment at all. 

The days blurred together into a comfortable routine around the trip. Kim spent every spare minute with the pair, which was the bulk of her time. She didn’t spend the night on the couch again, although Emmie mentioned more than once that she didn’t mind and she was sure Sabela didn’t either. Shego never commented either way, but regardless Agent Possible decided that without a reason to it was best not to push her luck. 

Shego had been annoyed when Kim asked for the name of the company she used. She didn’t remember, except that the sign had been blue with swooping series of dots as part of the design. Oh, and they were based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 

“Why there?”

“I had a contact. They aren’t there now. Passed away awhile back.”

“Dangers of the job?”

“Heart failure. He was, like, 80.” Shrugs. “It happens. Still, you’re looking in the wrong place. I didn’t leave a trace behind.”

“Maybe not. It’s still a lead. You know how it is.”

“It’s a waste of time. Do they have any others?”

“They do, but I’m not sure what I’m allowed to tell you.”

“But they are working on it?”

“Yes, it’s a high-priority job across the board. Once they have something solid, I’m sure I’ll get called in to go check it out personally.”

“I want to go.” Kim just looks at her. “I’m serious. This is about Emmie, and I need to make sure it’s done right. I want to go.”

“I can’t make that call.”

“Then ask Dr. Director.” Only hesitating a moment. “I’ll even wear the collar.”

Kim goes white. “Those aren’t legal.” Said slowly.

“What collar?” Emmie, coming in from the bathroom.

“Not on an unwilling person, it’s not. I’ll sign whatever your legal team wants, and I’ll put it on of my own free will. It had better have a clause that it comes off when we return. I’ll do it, if it means getting to go along.”

“What collar? And where are you going?” Getting worried, Emmie.

“Just a precaution,” Shego said quickly, giving her a quick grin. “And we aren’t going anywhere yet. They have a lead that might get something concrete. If it does, Kim will probably be called to check it out. I want to go with her, to make sure everything is fine.”

“But...won’t that be dangerous?” Frowning.

“It could be, but that’s why I should go. You want Tia Roja to come back safely, don’t you?”

To Kim. “You do seem to get hurt an awful lot...”

Kim rolls her eyes. “My luck has been bad lately, that’s all.”

“Well, if you’re going together I guess that’s alright.”

“Nothing has been decided yet. I certainly don’t have that authority, and even if I did I’m not sure I would agree. I don’t like the collar, it gives someone else too much power over you.”

Shego holds up her wrists, showing the silver cuffs, and raises a brow. Kim has the grace to flush.

“I’ll speak to Dr. Director, but it won’t be any time soon.”

“Good, you won’t be fit for something like that for at least a week.”

The highlight of their week, though, was the ladies session in the gym. 

Kim came, though she wasn’t even allowed to change into the sweats and t-shirts everyone else wore. She sat with Emmie to one side, and watched as introductions were made all around before Shego got started. It was less a lesson and more a ‘what do you want to know, and I’ll try and explain it’. 

“Your mom likes nicknames,” Kim observed as the hour progressed swiftly by. Already, of the 6 gathered, three had been christened Shortstack (the tallest one there at 6ft 2in), Puss (Agent Thomas) and Porkchop (a short, robust agent named Camilla). 

“It means she likes you,” Emmie replied with a grin. “She’s always called me Tiger, because I’m fierce!”

“She’s got the right.” Grinning back.

“She calls you Princess.” Teasing.

“And lots of other things,” Kim added quickly. “The insults were our way of saying ‘hi, how are you?’ when she was still doing the whole villain thing.”

“Right. But she calls you Princess most of the time, even now.”

“I guess so.” Wincing as Puss (Agent Thomas, she corrected herself) hit the mats hard, she said, “Gotta watch that hip throw she does.”

“You know Sabela’s hips well?”

Kim doesn’t answer. Emmie giggles. 

“Kim, she nearly killed me,” Agent Thomas said at the end as she staggered over to sit on her other side. “Are you sure you fought her as a high school student?”

“More times than I can count,” Kim replied with a smirk. “And she was going easy on you.”

“When Princess isn’t injured, if the day ever comes, we’ll show you what a real fight looks like,” Shego said as she sauntered up, smiling widely. “They aren’t bad, Princess, but I’m surprised you haven’t whipped them into better shape.”

“It’s hard to get training when she’s always gone or injured,” Agent Portillo (who was now Shroom to Shego) stuck in dryly. “I mean, it’s not your fault Kim, but we would make more progress if you were around a little more.”

“No worries, Princess, it’s not like I’m going anywhere.” Sardonic smile.

Kim tried not to be jealous. But it was really, really hard.

Afterwards, as they went back to the tiny apartment underground with their escort of guards, Kim asked, “So, why Porkchop?”

“I knew a biker chick named Porkchop in my early days. Not even five foot, and could whip ass like nobody’s business. Camilla reminds me of her.”

“Why was  _ she  _ called Porkchop?”

“It was her weapon of choice.”

“Ok, now I know you’re lying.” Rolling her eyes.

“I am not. You get ‘em bone in, and a pair of pork chops can be a fierce pair of weapons.” Straight faced.

“I’m not talking to you anymore.”

-090-


	3. Part 3

-090-

For once, Kim was with Shego and Emmie when the call came. Her wrist communicator gave its quiet beep, and she answered it while moving her checker on the board. 

“Agent Possible here.”

“Get up here, Agent. You’re leaving for Europe as soon as you’re briefed.”

“Yes ma’am.”

She stood quickly, giving Emmie and Shego both apologetic smiles. “Duty calls,” she said as she picked up her leather jacket and swung over her shoulder. “See you in a few days.”

“Bye, Tia Roja,” Emmie said as she bounded to her feet for a quick hug. 

“Bye, Emmie. I’ll see you soon.”

Shego stands, looking uncomfortable. “Be careful,” she offered lamely.

“Always,” Kim replied, rolling her eyes.

“You mean never,” Shego shot back dryly. “Seriously. Tiger would be upset if you came back hurt. So...don’t.”

“Do my best. Promise. Agent Possible to the lift. Leaving now.”

“Cleared, Agent Possible.”

And she was gone.

-090-

A week passed, and there was no word. Or at least no direct word. Agent Thomas made sure to mention in passing that Agent Possible had been spotted in Milan and was fine. A few days later Agent Portillo went out of her way to mention seeing Agent Possible via satellite in Brighton, England. By the end of the week, though, Emmie’s face was set in a near permanent frown and Shego wasn’t sure what to do.

“It’ll be alright, Tiger,” she said as they rewatched some old horror movies Kim had brought them together a night. “She’ll be fine.”

“Yeah,” her daughter replied. “I know.” But she didn’t sound convinced.

Another week passed, and there was no word. 

“This is  _ stupid _ ,” Emmie said in the middle of her tumble practice, laying on the mat facing the ceiling. “Who cares if I can walk on my hands on not?!”

“It's your physical activity, so you don’t turn into a slouch,” Agent Thomas said calmly. “But I think you’ve had it for today. We can try again tomorrow.”

“It’ll still be stupid tomorrow too!” String of spanish curses.

“I don’t think it’s possible to do that with an armadillo,” Agent Thomas said calmly. “Or a snake. Unless that’s a euphemism for something else in a context that I’m not familiar with. Which in that case would technically be possible, but very ill-advised.”

“Please don’t tell Sabela.” Groans.

“Too late.”

Shego is stalking over, but pauses halfway as she spots a commotion over by the door. She changes direction immediately. “The  _ fuck _ , Princess,” she fumed, scowling. “Gees, gone two weeks, and back looking like shit. What happened to being careful?”

“I was being careful,” Kim replied, rolling her eyes as she adjusted the sling that kept her right arm tucked into her chest. “It was an accident.”

Emmie had never been so happy to see the woman, and not just because a lecture had been derailed.

“What happened?” she asked as she bounded over, ignoring her mother’s glare. Hopefully if she put it off long enough, Sabela would forget. Hopefully.

“I jumped for a building from a helicopter,” Kim replied with a wince. “I didn’t miss, just...miscalculated. It’s fine.”

“Broken bones are not ‘fine’, Princess,” Shego’s still scowling. “And look at you face!” It’s a mass of bruises on one side. 

“But, no concussion this time.” Grinning. “Gotta look on the bright side.”

-090-

Ron was Kim’s emergency contact since her parent’s death as the friend who lived the closest and had the least demanding work schedule of the few. He wasn’t in any particular hurry, so he stopped by her favorite sushi place and picked up far more than the two of them could eat as consolation for her broken bones. Then, he went to pick up his friend and take her home. Driving would be out of the question for at least a few days while she was on the stronger pain pills. And if the doctor decided to make her stay at headquarters, he could at least get a list of things to pick up from her apartment to bring back for her to use. It’s what good friends were for.

While it had been years since he’d actually worked with the GJ, and he didn’t have any sort of security clearance anymore, he was recognized at the front desk and waved through with a, “Agent Possible was heading to the gym. She looks like hell, too.”

“I’ll do my best to make her rest, but no promises!” he’d called back, heading down the hall at a casual stroll. He knew his way around. 

At the gym, he noticed a higher number of security guards around than usual, but said nothing more as he spotting his goal. 

“KP!” he said, grinning as he caught her eye. “Nice cast. Got us some sushi. Can you go home yet, or-?”

“Oh my god!” a girl beside Kim squealed, “You’re  _ Ron Stoppable!!” _

Which was right about the time Ron noticed Shego. 

For a breath, nobody moved.

Finally, Kim said, “Someone is going to be in trouble and it isn’t going to me be. However, at this point...Ron, this is Emmie. She’s a fan. Does she remind of you anyone?”

Ron took his eyes of Shego for just a breath, then took a longer second look. “Wait...”

“Yep. She is.”

Blinking. Then leaning towards Emmie. “Are you seriously Shego’s kid?”

“Yeah.” Uncertain. 

He grins. “That is so cool! Does she do shadow animals for you with her plasma? I bet that would be so awesome!”

“You’re being surprisingly not freaked out about this.” Kim.

“Monique said you had a secret. There’s extra guards in the hall. She’s wearing something on her wrist that looks techy and expensive. So, how’d you catch her?”

“I didn’t. She turned herself in, to protect the kid.”

“Um, Agent Possible, does he have security clearance to know all this?” Agent Thomas.

“Well, somebody didn’t ask whether he had clearance to walk in the same room as our prisoner and her daughter, so it’s probably best he knows now, don’t you think Agent Thomas?” Irritated.

“Yes, ma’am.” Immediately backing down. 

“KP, stop biting the nice Agent’s head off. You’re tired and probably hungry and hurting. I have sushi, so let’s go find some place you can eat and rest for a bit.”

“But you just got back.” Emmie, disappointed. “I want to hear what you’ve been up to.”

“And you aren’t allowed to leave until the prisoners you brought back with you are fully processed,” a junior agent to the side added. Her assistant Marcie. “That will be at least two or three hours, ma’am.”

“You can come visit us with your sushi,” Emmie said quickly. “We don’t mind, right Sabela?”

Ron mouths ‘Sabela?’. Kim shakes her head for ‘later’. 

“Tiger, Kim is pretty tired and beat up,” Shego said gruffly. “And her friend’s here. We’ll see her another time.”

“Actually, we have extra,” Ron said, curiosity making him glance back and forth between the trio. “If you like sushi too. It’s from our favorite place, so it’s pretty good.”

“Ron, I’ll probably get away with giving you a few details about Shego and her daughter,” Kim said carefully. “But I definitely don’t have clearance to grant you entrance to their apartment.”

Emmie is staring at her mother. Shego sighs. “If our permission matters, he can come.” Grudgingly.

-090-

As it turns out, it did matter. And with that permission given, the four descended with arms full of plastic trays to the prisoner quarters.

“Have you had sushi, Tiger?” Shego asked as chopsticks were broken out and small dishes set aside for soysauce and wasabi from packets. 

“A couple of times, with dad,” Emmie replied quickly. “I liked the spicy tuna rolls.”

“We have those,” Ron said. “And California, Caterpillar, Vegetable and Philly. Also a mix and match of some nigiri with fish and shrimp. Everything should still be fresh, I picked it up on the way and had some cold packs with it in the car.”

“Do you always travel with cold packs?” Emmie, confused.

“Food safety should not be taken lightly.” He’s a chef. 

Kim tries to help, but with her arm in a sling and only her left hand out, she’s worse than useless. Emmie proudly shows off her masterly of chopsticks. Shego compliments the sushi to her surprise. Ron agrees, and they debate rolls, preferences and when to eat what is best. Either way, Emmie asks if they can order this in more often. Kim doesn’t see why not. 

Kim is eating with her fingers, because left handed chopsticks are a no. Ron helps her with the messy rolls, lifting them on his chopsticks and feeding her.

“Aww, look Emmie. Princess is being fed by Ronnie.”

“So now I’m ‘Ronnie’,” Ron replied, not the least bit flustered to Shego’s surprise. 

“I didn’t think ‘useless dork’ would go over well,” Shego replied dryly. “Which is the nicest of the many things I used to call you.”

“Well, to be fair, I was kind of useless back then.” Grinning with a chuckle.

“You were not,” Kim argued, rolling her eyes. “If anything, you were a better partner than any of the puppies the Director’s been shoving my way the last few months. And they’re all supposed to be professionals.”

“Yeah, well, that’s just because I knew you so well.” Around a mouthful of nigiri. “And if you actually tried to tell them what you want from them instead of just assuming they should know it would probably help.”

Grumbling. “They should know to stay out of my way.”

“Then it’s not really a partnership, is it,” Shego pointed out dryly.

“So you’re a chef now, Mr. Stoppable?”

“Just Ron, ok? Mr. Stoppable is my dad.” Making a face. “And yeah, I’m a chef now.”

“Where’s your restaurant?”

“I don’t have a permanent place, yet. I keep getting asked to guest cook at different places, mostly in the area, for a night or two at special events. Also, there’s so many different things I want to learn, but once I settle down it’ll be hard to keep attending classes. So, for now, I just have fun and enjoy the ride.”

“Who are you studying with this semester?”

“Chef Luigi, he’s from Italy. I made homemade pasta for the first time the other day, and it was pretty tasty if I do say so myself.”

“Will you come make us some pasta some time?” Emmie. “The pasta here isn’t  _ bad _ , but...”

“Cafeteria food?”

“Yeah.” 

“I don’t see why not. I’ll have to make it somewhere else, though. You only have a microwave and a refrigerator down here.”

“Awww....”

“They might let us borrow one of the upper apartments for a day,” Kim mused thoughtfully. 

“Those have full kitchens, right?”

“Pretty sure they do, yeah.”

“Oooh, if we had a full kitchen I could cook something too.” Emmie, excitedly.

“What do you like to cook?” Ron, grinning.

“Mole sauce, enchiladas, tamales, guacamole....all kinds of stuff. Papa and I lived mostly alone on the mountain, so he taught me how to cook as soon as I could be trusted with the stove to help with the chores.”

“Sounds like my kind of man. Where is he?”

The table goes quiet.

“Oh. Sorry, I didn’t-”

“It’s fine,” Emmie cut in brusquely. “It happens. People die.” Changing the subject. “Are we going to be allowed to do something special for Thanksgiving, Sabela? It’s next week.”

“Is it? I lose track of what day it is down here.” Shrugging. “I don’t know, Tiger. That’s not really my call.”

“Are you coming to spend the day with us, Tia Roja?”

“Emmie, Kim has her own family-” Shego’s trying to be gentle.

“They’re abandoning me,” Kim cut in with a grin. “So, I’m afraid you’re stuck with me.”

“Yes!”

“What are the tweebs up to?” Ron, looking surprised.

“Snowboarding. A friend has a cabin, and he’s invited six or seven of them to go with him and his parents for the long weekend. For some reason, that’s more appealing than sleeping on the floor of my tiny apartment for a few days.”

“Ungrateful wretches,” Ron said stoutly.

“What about you?”

“Oh, I’m heading home to spend the week with Hanna. Dad won a cruise for him and mom after correctly estimating the odds of a spaceship taking out the top third of a skyscraper while being driven by a monkey.” Shrugs. “It’s an actuarial thing. Anyways, I’m driving her up to spend the day with Grammy Stoppable.”

“I’m sure Hanna’s looking forward to it.”

“To seeing Granny Stopppable? Yes. To, in her words, being stuck with a dweeby older brother, not so much.” Shrugging. “Apparently having once saved the world makes me an embarrassment to be around? I don’t ask people to come up and want an autograph, but she always yells at me afterwards...”

“Stop being famous, Ron, how dare you.” Kim, laughing.

“Right, like you have any right to talk.” Rolling his eyes. 

“So you’re going to spend Thanksgiving with us?” Emmie’s stoked.

“If you don’t mind the company.” Glancing at Shego.

“It’s fine,” Shego replied with a shrug. “At least it’ll be someone to talk to. I’m sure this place is pretty dead over a holiday.”

“Depends on the holiday.” Kim and Ron together, both grimacing.

“Dr. Director gets into Christmas,” Kim explained at the pair’s confused looks. “Seriously, it’s a bit over the top.” Thinking. Loudly, “Actually, it’s completely and entirely out of control, and she should seriously think about how much of our budget she spends on decorating and celebrating every year. We do not need live reindeer in the lobby with our Santa display. The smell was awful after a few days, and the poop got  _ everywhere _ .”

Ron. “You can’t get in trouble for what you say in here?”

“Not officially,” Kim agreed with a grin. “She’ll probably glare, but I can handle that.”

“She seriously had live reindeer in the lobby?” Shego, incredulously.

“For a week, yes. The cost was...exorbitant.”

“But, to be fair, the get togethers are really fun so everyone has their families come here for Christmas instead of traveling somewhere else,” Ron replied with a smile. “Which is smart, because if there’s an emergency everyone is here and if there isn’t, no one minds staying home because they’re having so much fun. They do a meet the Santa where everyone gets a present (and I mean everyone, anyone who shows up walks out with something nice) and they always do a big meal together on Christmas Eve. There’s usually an afterparty for the adults, and the kids are invited to do a sleepover in the holodome so mom and dad can have a few drinks without being worried. And no one leaves without a sobriety test. If you insist on getting a cab to go home they’ll help, but otherwise most people crash in spare rooms around the building.”

“You’re going to volunteer to chaperone again, aren’t you?” Kim.

“The holodome at night is the  _ coolest _ , KP! Like, you can see the stars for  _ miles _ , and if you watch closely you can see Santa flying in the distance.” To Shego. “It’s a hologram, but it’s super well-done and the kids are super good because Santa’s like, right there. Plus it’s a paid gig, so win-win, right?”

“Right.” Rolling her eyes.

“Plus, on Christmas day they do the elf laser tag challenge, and there’s the fruitcake eating contest, and the pie bake-off-”

“Which you’re banned from.”

“I won three years in a row,” proudly to Emmie. “I make a killer pie. Want to know my secret ingredient.”

“Yes!”

“Cheese.”

Kim rolls her eyes, Shego just seems amused.

-090-

“So...”

“Don’t say it.”

“Security reasons?”

“Yeah.”

“Mm...Sabela, huh?”

Giving him a look. He grins. “She’d kill you if she heard you use it.”

“She’s a mom.” 

“Yeah, I know.”

“Emmie really likes you.”

“She was apparently a pretty big fan as a child. Sabela is still a bit sore about that.” Grinning. 

“That does have to sting a little. Your kid hero-worshipping your arch-nemesis.”

“Her face was pretty hilarious the first time it came out.”

“So, you’re spending a lot of time with them?”

“Part of her deal with the GJ, I’m the main contact. Apparently she didn’t trust anyone else to be honest with her.”

“Let’s be fair, this is Sh...Sabela we’re talking about.” Flushes at the near slip. “I’m surprised they were willing to strike a deal with her at all.”

“If there weren’t a kid involved, I’m not sure they would. But I think the promise of her being an asset in the future is helping.”

“You can’t tell me why she decided now was a good time to turn herself in?”

“No, but it’s a good reason.” Quietly. “It’s been fun, actually. Almost like that time when she got hit with the moodulator.”

“She’s not being that nice, is she? Because...I definitely wouldn’t trust that.”

“No, but...it’s easy. Just hanging out and talking. Most of the time it’s nothing important. We spent an entire afternoon debating whether or not straws should have bends. Like, that’s the sort of thing you do with your friends, right?”

“They say the line behind hate and love is a thin one, and she definitely hated you there for awhile. But...she also respected you. Didn’t she save your life once?”

“Twice.” Shrugging, and looking uncomfortable. “It does make me feel a little bad about some of the times we fought. I wasn’t always as nice.” Like the time she threw her into a collapsing building.

“Well, she was pushing your buttons that day.”

“Anyone who wasn’t Shego probably would have died, Ron.”

“Anyone who wasn’t Shego also wouldn’t have made a crack about your boyfriend melting.”

“I don’t think that justifies what I did, though.”

“Then apologize, if it bothers you that much. She’s right there, not going anywhere.”

“Yeah, I guess so.” Thinking. “I’m surprised you’re taking this so calmly.”

“What did you think I would do?”

“I don’t know, maybe point out that a ‘reformed’ criminal and her child maybe isn’t the best sort of friend for me to have?”

“Eh, I think you’ve got it handled. I heard her asking about if you were in pain or not. I think she might have actually been worried about you.”

“She said I’m the only one she trusts there. She’s probably just worried I’ll get replaced and she’ll get stuck with someone more difficult to deal with.”

“Who would that be?” Sarcastic.

“Hey!”

“So, what do they do all day at GJ?”

“Emmie’s in school online. Sabela is training some with the other agents, and undergoing some sort of testing. I’m not sure what for. Everytime I ask she shrugs, and Dr. Director is being quiet about it too.”

“Like, medical testing?”

“Like, on a tablet. Answering questions or something like that.”

“Oh. Hm. Well, knowing Dr. Director, when she finally unveils whatever it is she’s doing it’ll be at a dramatic moment. She likes flashy things like that.”

“I think that’s why she likes Christmas so much.”

“Could be.”

He sees her up to her room, she promises to call in two days for a ride back to work.

-090-

“Are you sure she’s ok?” 

It was the fourth time her daughter had asked in the last hour, and Shego could feel her hold on her patience slipping one finger length at a time. 

“Tiger,” she said in a voice that should have warranted immediate attention and care. “Kim’s an adult. If she wasn’t ok to go home, they wouldn’t have sent her home. As it is, she’s probably sleeping off the worst of the pain. We’ll see her again in a few days, I’m sure.”

“Ok...”

And now she’s moping. 

Shego was so not cut out to do this parenting thing. Where was Kim Possible when she needed her. 

-090-

Kim sat in Dr. Director’s office, only a little out of it from the wonderful pain meds that kept her arm and shoulder from feeling like hell. The older woman eyed her in her sling, jeans and t-shirt and sighed.

“You’ll have to do,” she said as she came around her desk. “We have a problem. I was hoping to resolve it without you, but it looks like the state is going to insist.”

“On what?”

“Questioning the fitness of one Elizabeth Morgan Go as a parent.”

-090-

The judge sat in one of the conference rooms, her typist beside her as Kim and Dr. Director took one side of the table and a man and woman in business dress took the other.

“This hearing today,” the judge said as they settled in, “Is to determine whether or not I will allow the state to pursue trying to remove Esmeralda Maria Santiago, a twelve year old female, from custody of her mother, one Elizabeth Morgan Go. The DHS will be allowed to have their say, the GJ Director and whoever she wishes to call upon to testify will also have their say. Some cross examination will be allowed if any evidence seems unclear, but this will not turn into an argument or debate ladies and gentlemen. Any incivility will result in the party responsible being ejected from the proceedings. Do we all understand?”

A round of nods.

“Good. Mr. Caplan and Mrs. Allgood, please begin. You are representing the DHS in this matter.”

The evidence was, in all honest, quite damning. Elizabeth Morgan Go was better known as Shego, the hero-turned villain who was once wanted in 11 countries and frequently at the top of the FBI’s most wanted list over the last decade and a half. Her crimes were many, and even if she had never committed anything considered a violent crime, evidence of her temper and violent tendencies they had ample proof of. Kim winced as old footage of her teenage vigilante days was shown more than once. Oh, she’d forgotten about that one (describe a scene from a show)...she really hadn’t been nice to Shego, had she?

Furthermore, the DHS went on, they had proof that Shego was dishonest, manipulative, and utterly unwilling to comply with the law. She had faked her death shortly after Esmeralda's birth, and spent years out of her life. They were practically strangers compared to the family that had helped her father raise her. Besides, she had entered the US illegally, and despite technically having dual citizenship from her birth mother belonged back in Ecuador with the family who had been a part of her life since birth. 

The judge had listened, made notes, and occasionally asked for proof of the allegations they brought forward. Video was shown, and papers handed over. At the end, she turned to GJ with a grave frown.

“Your side,” she said carefully, “Must be something extraordinary to warrant interfering with such a dangerous known criminal. You may begin.”

Dr. Director nodded, and told her story simply. Shego’s peaceful surrender, and her request to deal specifically with Agent Possible. The introduction of her daughter, and their tests confirming her maternity and overall health. The girl had suffered no physical injuries of any kind beyond normal bumps and bruises that they could determine, and was well-fed and reasonably happy, given the circumstances of her time with her mother. The GJ had since then confirmed that, yes, someone was after Esmeralda Santiago, and her mother had acted to protect her life. Part of her mother’s surrender was an agreement to keep and protect Esmeralda until the situation could be resolved.

“How close are you to resolving the situation, Dr. Director?”

“Not close, ma’am. It is a difficult case. We have our best minds on it, as there are several details about the case which are disturbing in the extreme.”

“Can you reveal those details?”

“No ma’am.”

“The agreement with Miss Go, the mother, to protect and keep her daughter, what are the terms specifically?”

“That GJ would keep them together if possible, and if not to provide the girl with a fit guardian and escort of our best. Her continued safety is of the utmost importance to us. I am not a liberty to discuss more as to why.”

“Then you did not agree to protect her parental rights over her daughter?”

“Not specifically, no. But Miss Go has submitted to every single one of our requests for assurance as to her goodwill. She wears items that I am not at liberty to disclose that disrupt her abilities, and she was the one who suggested she wear them. She has taken without protest a series of tests both mental and intellectual for us, and has been evaluated by our top professional psychologists. It is their opinion that she is sound of mind and judgement, and has chosen this path freely of her own accord. There is a bond, if not a parental bond, between Miss Go and her daughter, and it has also been determined that severing it without good reason could cause damage to Esmeralda who while in a stable state of mind only has her mother and one other significant bond in her life at this point.

“Who is the second bond?”

“Agent Possible, who agreed to accompany me to this meeting today.”

The judge paused. “Agent Possible. As in...Kim Possible?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Her pain pills are wearing off and her shoulder begins to ache. So her head is clear, but she’s frowning slightly. She isn’t aware of this, but everyone else at the table is, and her frowning is a pretty intense look. 

“You were the one who (insert something that happened on the show here), yes?”

“That was me, ma’am.”

“So you are involved with Esmeralda and her mother, Miss Go?”

“When Shego turned herself in she made it clear that she only wished to work with me, because she knows how very honest I am. Anything I say can be taken at face value. And while it is possible that Dr. Director could lie to me regarding Shego’s situation, she knows I wouldn’t remain with the GJ for long if she did.”

“How often are you with Esmeralda?”

“When I am not on missions, I visit with her and her mother every day, including most weekends. I have been absent a handful of times for upwards of a week due to my other duties, but given this,” motioning to her sling, “I have been grounded from mission work for at least three or four months. Perhaps longer.”

“Is the injury serious, or...?”

“If by serious you mean ‘life threatening or career ending’, no. It is, however, extensive enough that I will need to allow the bones to regrow before undergoing extensive physical therapy to be sure it is not injured again.” Clearing her throat. “If I may ask a question?”

“Of course, Agent Possible.”

“Where did the DHS obtain their information regarding Miss Go?” Kim asked in a low voice. “Everything that we have on her is classified, and you should not have been given access to any of the GJ records short of a presidential mandate for their release. And as for gathering the information on your own, the day DHS can track one of the most notoriously difficult criminal’s movements for a year with such accuracy is the day we need to take a look at your budget and find out what mad scientist has taken over from the inside.”

The judge perks up at this.

“This question is not important to the matter at hand.”

“I disagree.” Kim’s frown deepens. “I believe you were handed that information, or lead to it by the nose. An accidental but providential find. And you acted, I’m sure, in what you think are the best interests of a potentially abused child. Also quite the accomplishment if you manage it, and certainly something you would make a big fuss over as you returned the poor dear to her grieving grandmother and other family in Ecuador. Good publicity isn’t something to sneeze at.”

The man shrugs uncomfortably. “The thought did occur to us, yes,” he admitted carefully.

“She’d be a sitting duck,” Kim said flatly. “You’d paint a target on her half a mile wide that only an idiot could miss. You might never find out about it, but it would give anyone who wants to use her against her mother or even just for her own sake the opportunity of a lifetime.” To the judge. “Ma’am, removing Esmeralda from GJ custody would be both misguided and dangerous. We need to investigate how the DHS got information that they shouldn’t have and pursue the lead as far as it will take us.”

“That is not the current topic at hand, but will be noted for further discussion later,” the judge agreed gravely. “Back to what we are here to discuss: Esmeralda and her guardianship. I understand your points, Agent Possible, and I do agree with you that if the GJ believes they have proof that the child is in danger than she probably is. I also understand your concerns regarding the possible manipulation of other branches of the government to reveal where the child is. However, none of that directly addresses whether or not Miss Go is fit to be a mother at this time.”

“I am not a professional in that regard, ma’am, and can only tell you what I have observed in my time with them. Shego and Emmie are close, and Emmie looks up to her mother a great deal. Emmie feels safe with her, and trusts her judgement. They don’t always get along or agree, but I’ve never met a parent and child that did. But most importantly in my mind, ma’am, is when Shego realized she couldn’t hunt the people who killed Emmie’s father and protect her, she chose her child first. She decided that was more important than justice or revenge.”

“An excellent point, Agent Possible.” Sitting back. “I wish to take a short break, and reconvene in thirty minutes to give my decision. For now, this meeting is adjourned.”

“Ma’am,” turning to face Dr. Director in low voice. “Did you bring me to bring up all the things you couldn’t point out?”

“Of course,” the older woman replied with a wide smile. “I knew you’d spot it immediately. But from me it sounds like complaining. From you, the famous Kim Possible, it’s a valid concern. The judge’s daughter is an enormous fan, by the way. She will probably ask for an autograph when it’s done.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Rolling her eyes. Pressing her left hand to her shoulder.

“It won’t be long. Coffee?”

“Please.”

Dr. Director fetches her a cup from the service at the table. “Don’t get used to it, Possible.”

“I won’t, ma’am.” Enjoying the strong, if very bitter, coffee.

-090-

“You look like hell,” Shego said as Kim walked slowly into their apartment, the grimace obvious even at that distance. “Why are you here and not at home sleeping?”

“Had to have a meeting,” Kim replied quietly, giving Emmie a wave as the girl poked her head out of the bedroom. “Emmie, give your mom and I a moment. We need to talk.” She closes the door again.

“Shit, Princess, who died?” Trying to joke, it falls flat.

“So...someone leaked a bunch of information to the DHS. They’re trying to remove Emmie from you, calling into question your fitness as a parent.”

“The whole reason I brought her here is she isn’t safe anywhere else.” Tightly.

“I know, and I argued on your behalf with the judge,” Kim said quickly. “This was a preliminary hearing, and because of your status as a prisoner, you weren’t allowed to attend. The Director decided to exclude Emmie in case she got upset.”

“That was probably for the best.”

“The judge was actually very fair minded, but did agree that the DHS has enough evidence to take you to court over the guardianship of your child however they obtained it. She’s offered a solution, though, that would keep this out of court and keep Emmie with you. Sort of.”

-090-

Emmie was lying on her stomach, playing with the mini-tablet she’d been gifted when she complained of being bored sometimes. The games were mostly educational, but she didn’t mind. 

A knock at the door.

“Emmie?”

“Yeah, Sabela?”

Shego comes in, looking unusually serious.

“What’s wrong?” Emmie’s worried.

“Nothing is wrong exactly, just...I need to ask you something.” She sits cross-legged on the bed.

“Yeah?”

“So, some people have decided that they don’t think I make a good mom. I can’t say I disagree with them entirely. But if they take you away, I can’t promise that you’ll be safe. And that’s the whole reason we did this, so you would be safe.”

“Yeah.” A careful, neutral agreement.

“So, the judge listened to both sides, and Kim apparently impressed her arguing on our side to keep us together.”

“So, I don’t have to leave?”

“That depends. The judge has given us two options. One is we can go to court. Argue for our side. We’ll have a lawyer, provided by the GJ. Kim doesn’t think we’ll win, though.”

“What’s the other option?”

“We can shift your guardianship to Kim. If we do it now, it’s a voluntary action, and not court-ordered. It’ll look better on paper in the future when she gives guardianship back, and the judge has already said she’ll consider it an acceptable alternative for the time being.”

“But...what’ll happen to you?”

“Nothing. I’ll still be here, every day.” Swallowing hard. “I’m not going anywhere, Tiger. Promise.”

“I don’t want to lose you too.” Quietly, tears welling up in her eyes.

“You aren’t losing me, Tiger.” Hugging her awkwardly. “Not me. I won’t let them take you  _ or _ me away. Ever. We stay together, no matter what.”

“Ok.” Sniffing and nodding. “Ok.”

“But it’s up to you, tiger. Do you want to fight it or do you want to let Kim have temporary guardianship of you?”

“How long?”

“I don’t know. Maybe a year or two?” Guessing.

“Can I talk to her?”

“Yeah, if you want.”

“Can you...wait here?”

“Yeah.” Trying not to show how that hurts. “I can.”

“Ok.” She slides off the bed and leaves the room closing the door behind her.

Shego tries not to cry.

A few minutes later, Kim enters and closes the door behind her. She sits beside Shego, close but not touching. 

“I’m sorry.”

“What for?”

“I’m not trying to take your place.”

“Maybe you should.” Scrubbing at her face. “I’m not letting you, but you can’t tell me it wouldn’t make a lot of things easier.”

“It would tear Emmie in two.”

“She’d heal. Kids do.” Pretending she’s not about to cry. 

“Healing doesn’t mean the wound never happened, Shego. It just means you survived it.”

Shego remembers about Kim’s parents, feels terrible. Changing the subject. “I’m surprised the judge suggested it, actually. I thought fostering or adopting took some sort of special certification stuff.”

“Oh, I am certified to foster.” Shego gives her a blank look. “I took over guardianship of Tim and Jim when our parents died. I technically still am their legal guardian, because they’re both under 21, but they live at their college campus despite being underaged because of their ridiculously smart brains. They have a school counselor who keeps an eye on them.”

“Oh.” Trying to avoid her dead parents, and leading right back to them. Great. Fan-fuckin’-tastic. “So...where is Emmie going to stay?”

“The Director wanted to talk to you about that and some other things, actually, if you were both ok with the plan.”

“More surprises?”

“Probably, she does love them.” Rolling her eyes. “Um...while we’re here, I wanted to apologize for something.”

“It had better not be for agreeing to this.”

“No, though I am happy to do it if you that’s what you and Emmie want.” Shego gets a certain look in her eyes, and she hurries on. “What I wanted to apologize for was...some of our fights years ago. I wasn’t always as...heroic and...nice as I should have been.”

“I was trying to snap your neck, Princess. Well, at least put you out of ‘hero-ing’ for good. You were on the ‘no-kill’ list until you graduated high school.” Back on firmer ground, surreptitiously wiping her eyes. Kim pretends not to notice.

“There’s a ‘no-kill’ list?”

“Yeah. Well, it’s mostly a general ‘no kids, no little defenseless old ladies, no disabled people’. Bad guys who target the weak and the helpless in lethal ways make life really difficult for the rest of us. Well, them. That’s when governments start talking about the death penalty for villains of any kind, no matter if your plan succeeded or not. When it became obvious, though, that you were going to keep doing the ‘save the day’ thing, it was decided to add you to the list by name. Pictures of you and your sidekick were distributed among villains who hadn’t met you yet, so they wouldn’t kill you by accident. And everyone equipped their lair with high-tech camera systems to record every minute of your invasion. That way, if you were killed by accident, they would have proof that it was indeed an accident.”

“Why?”

“You were too young and really popular. If you’d died, even by accident, without proof it would have been open season on anyone with even a whiff of evil der-doings about them.”

“I distinctly remember almost getting hurt really badly more than once.” Skeptical.

“Oh, grievous bodily harm was fine. We just all agreed not to kill you on purpose.” Again with the straight face.

“Again, I’m not sure I believe you at all.”

“But you aren’t positively certain you don’t believe me either. That is progress.”

“Towards what?”

“Dunno. So, to see Dr. Director, then?”

“I guess so.”

-090-

Shego sat in the office by herself, Kim and Emmie having taken this opportunity to visit the holodome for the first time. She was technically chained to the chair, her movements heavily restricted by the multiple ties and cuffs in place. In truth, if she wanted out it wouldn’t have been impossible, though definitely time consuming. Still, in an effort to place nice she stilled her itching fingers and waited for the woman in charge to speak.

“Sorry for the inconvenience,” Dr. Director said with a small smile. “Policy, though, for private conversations with dangerous criminals. We haven’t spoken in awhile, you and I. How are you doing? Finding everything...palatable at least?”

“It’s alright,” Shego said calmly as she looked about the room. “Not as good as I’d hoped, not as bad as I’d feared. Whoever cooks at least knows what they’re doing.”

“I’ll pass on your compliments.” Raising her brows slightly. “Agent Possible is keeping you apprised of our progress?”

“Yes.”

“And she’s informed you as to our most recent difficulties regarding young Emmie?”

“Yes.” Less calmly.

“Have you and Emmie reached a decision?”

“I am willing to pass guardianship to Agent Possible, if it prevents the need for a trial at this time.”

“It does. The question now is: what are you willing to do to remain with Emmie?”

“Anything.” Jaw set.

Dr. Director pulls over a file and flips it open. “The tests you’ve been taking have been complied. The results are...most impressive. Our flight instructor is fairly certain you could fly anything we have in the hangars, including a few things are rather unique. Our linguistics master wants to know how you managed to master seven languages, including Arabic, Mandarin, and Japanese which are widely considered the most difficult languages to learn by most translators. The other four that we know of being, of course, English, Spanish, German and Italian. The combat instructors have been pouring over footage of your workouts and sparring matches for weeks. There is some talk of attempting to put together an elite unarmed combat task force with you as it’s instructor. The psychologist was surprised to find you fairly morally grounded, not that you won’t do bad things but that you recognize them as bad when compared to the rest of society. She mentions your temper, but we already knew about that. And thus far all attempts to purposefully provoke it have been ignored. You can, when you wish to, control it.”

“And all of that means...?”

“That, though your college education is formally in early childhood education (a story I would love to hear sometime), you are actually more qualified to be a GJ agent than most of the people in this building. If we rather stretch the meaning of ‘surveillance and fieldwork’, you technically have more than a decade of experience.”

“Where’s the hook?”

“Right here.” Tosses down a thick sheaf of papers. “It’s a ten year contract, with escalating rate of pay figured in as you gain more trust and therefore responsibility. You would be, in time, an Agent, and an elite pilot able to take any of our many aircraft as needed on missions of all kinds.”

“Ten years is a lot time.”

“The government wanted twenty. I talked them down. This does include a five year extension caveat, but only if disciplinary action is needed.”

“Who makes that call?”

“I do.”

“I won’t be a grunt.”

“It would be a waste of your many talents, dear. Indeed, if you were not you we would not be having this conversation at all.”

“So how does this keep me with Emmie?”

“We can’t keep her in a high security cell. That much had been mandated by the government, because of the DHS and their interference. She has to be moved to one of the mid-level apartments. They’re bigger, with more amenities and fewer security restrictions. Agent Possible will move in with her, as her guardian.”

“So, what, she’ll be allowed to come visit me every day?” Swallowing hard. “If I sign the contract, I mean?”

“If you sign the contract, you’ll be allowed to move with her.”

Their eyes meet. “It can’t be that simple.”

“It is...and it isn’t.” Shrugging. “There are caveats. You have to wear clothes, shoes, and a watch that all contain trackers. We will insert one under your skin as well, if we can. We aren’t certain if your plasma will disrupt it yet or not. You will be required to undertake an indepth lie detector test once a month, and weekly visits with a therapist. All of these were added by the government, and are non-negotiable. There were more, but even I draw the line at certain things. In the end they saw reason.”

“I’ll sign it.”

“There is one more thing. I have to disclose to you a few things about Kim Possible that you likely do not know, because I have the transcripts from every visit she’s made and it’s never been mentioned once. After I disclose them, you will decide if you still wish to pass guardianship to her and to sign the ten year contract with Global Justice.”

“This is Kim Possible we’re talking about. It can’t be that bad.” Rolling her eyes.

Dr. Director did not smile.

-090-

Kim and Emmie were met in the hallway by Agent Du as they made their way back to the high security prison cells.

“I was sent to escort you to your new home,” he said with a friendly smile as he nodded to their escorts. “Agent Possible, should you require assistance in moving your things you are to let Francine know at the front desk. She’ll see that arrangements are made immediately.”

“Thank you, Agent Du.” To Emmie. “Ready to go see it?”

“Where’s Sabela?” Suspicious.

“She’s meeting us there. She’s already been to your previous quarters to pick up your belongings. It will be thoroughly cleaned, and if anything else is found after the fact we will bring it to you immediately.”

“Oh, ok.” Relaxing.

The rooms were not spacious, but they were less confining than before. The layout was very simple, with one large room that housed a living area, kitchen and dining area with only the furniture marking out which was which. Off the back were three doors, all open. Two bedrooms and one bathroom. One of the bedrooms is empty.

“Usually the second bedroom is used as an office or anything else the occupant may wish,” Agent Du said as they began to explore. “We left it empty for now incase you had furniture you wished to have placed in there, Agent Possible. The other room currently has bunk beds, but that can change if it needs to. There is quite a bit more freedom in terms of furniture and placement than the previous quarters.”

“Thank you, Agent Du. Is there anything else I need to know?”

“You and Emmie, of course, will be free to come and go as you wish. Miss Go’s movements will still be restricted. I do not know precisely what those restrictions will be.”

“That will be all, Agent Du.”

“Agent Possible, Emmie.” Nods and leaves.

“So you’re going to bring all your stuff over and move in with us?”

“I guess so, yeah.” Shrugging. “I don’t have much. Well...I do, but most of it is in Middleton, not my apartment, so...”

“What kind of bed do you have?”

“A queen on a plain frame. It’s an old one, though, nothing fancy. I’ve had it for years.”

“Can I sleep on the top bunk?”

“I don’t even know if we’re keeping them yet, Emmie. We need to talk about where everyone is going to sleep.”

“What, are you planning on sharing a room with Sabela?” Grins.

Kim gives her a dark look. 

The door opens. It’s more guards, and Shego. She and two others are carrying boxes.

“That’s all our stuff, what there is of it,” the raven-haired woman said as she dropped hers on the kitchen counter. “Nice. Definitely an upgrade. Are we actually allowed to cook, or is the kitchen just for show?”

One of the guards turns out to be Chief Officer MacIntyre, who’s in charge of all the prisoners. “It is fully functional, and you will be given the options of preparing meals yourself if you wish,” he said as he stepped forward and gave Kim a crisp salute.

“Chief Officer MacIntyre.” Nodding slightly, because she can’t salute. 

“Of course, Agent Possible is banned from using any cooking device beyond a microwave or coffee pot,” the man went on straight-faced. “So any cooking done in this...apartment is not to be done by her.” Kim flushes, and Emmie laughs. “Miss Go, you have been thoroughly appraised of your restrictions?”

“Yes.” Flatly.

(Earlier on, when speaking with Dr. Director, go over how the security regulations change. Cameras with 24 hours surveillance in the main living area, also mics everywhere. Bathroom and bedrooms are clean of surveillance, but the apartment is equipped with 3D tracking systems, and Shego is to be tracked every moment of every day. She also wears a body mic, to be sure she isn’t doing anything she shouldn’t be. It’s more freedom than before, but still heavily restricted.)

“Very good. Please let me know if you have any further questions. Gentlemen.” They leave.

“So, there’s bunk beds in one room and other is empty,” Kim said as she turned to where Shego lounged against the kitchen counter. The woman won’t look her in the eye, but she’s too busy organizing to notice. “Are you planning on Emmie staying with you, or?”

“I want the top bunk,” Emmie stuck in quickly.

“I have to sleep in the room with the bunk beds,” Shego replied with a shrug. “And I’m not to enter the other room without express verbal permission from you, loud enough to be picked up on this.” She taps the silver broached pinned on her shoulder.

Kim winces. “They hate when people do that.”

“Don’t care. So, bunk beds Tiger. Are you sure you’re ok with the top?”

“Yes!!”

“Then I guess that’s settled.” Still not looking at Kim. “Are you seriously banned from cooking, Princess?”

“Yes.” Grudgingly. 

“I want to hear that story later.” Grinning slightly. “Tiger, go put your clothes away, alright? I need to talk to Kim for a minute.”

“Yeah, alright.” Takes her box and leaves.

“GJ has offered me a ten year contract. It includes restrictions because for some reason no one trusts me except you.” Ironic smile. “I start tomorrow. No uniform, but I am getting my own ID badge and everything. To prove I’m supposed to be wherever it is they have me.”

Kim realizes Shego isn’t looking at her, thinks back over the last several minutes. 

“Dr. Director told you.”

“She had to,” defensive. “Full disclosure before I could sign the paperwork.”

“And you still signed it.”

“Yes.”

“But you won’t look me in the eyes.”

“Princess...” Rubbing her face with one hand. “It’s not that simple, alright?”

“Actually, it is pretty simple,” Kim replied with a shrug. “I have a medical condition. Medication and a combination of regular visits with a therapist and a fairly healthy lifestyle controls it.”

“You have Depression. That’s not...”

“Normal? More people have it than you think.” Shrugging. “Would you have even guessed if Dr. Director hadn’t said anything?”

“I don’t know. I have wondered why you weren’t as...excitable as you used to be. Of course, that could just be getting older. Most people calm down a bit with age.”

“Personal experience?” 

Rolls her eyes. “This is serious, Kim.”

“Yeah, it is. Which is why I take my pill every day, and I see my therapist once a week, and I don’t drink because that doesn’t end well for me and I try to eat decently so I tolerate the medication well.”

“Eat well? I’ve heard you tell Emmie about the sorts of things you have for dinner when you aren’t eating with us.”

“I can’t cook.” Flatly. “That’s not an excuse, but a simple statement of fact.”

“Well, I can. And that at least is going to change.” 

“How are you going to pay for food?” 

“I’m getting paid, Princess. Not much, yes, but it’ll be enough to spring for a nice ribeye steak every now and then. Besides, if you know what you’re doing it’s cheaper to make food yourself.” Looking uncomfortable. “...is there anything else I should know? To...do or not do or...whatever.”

“Not really, no.” Shrugging. “It’s just a thing that I live with, alright?”

“Yeah, alright.”

“My stuff’s put away,” Emmie said as she bounded back into the room. “The closet’s a  _ lot _ bigger.”

“Nice.” Shego, trying to smile.

“Emmie, I’ve got to get going,” Kim said as she gave the girl a smile. “I’ll need to pack up my apartment and call some friends to help me haul it all back. I won’t be back until tomorrow morning, because we won’t have time to get it all done before then.”

(CHANGE: There’s a queen in the second room already. Kim’s apartment came furnished, it’s a standard GJ living arrangement. Because her lease is through them, she can break it whenever she needs.)

“Awww....”

“She’ll be back tomorrow, Tiger. C’mon, we’ll go see what we can order through the grocery catalogue and plan something special for tomorrow’s dinner.”

“Tamale’s??” Excited.

“Tiger, I have no idea if we can even get the proper ingredients to make something like that, or if they have the right equipment. I doubt these kitchens come stocked with steamers.” Grumbling to herself. “Hell, I’ll be happy if the knives are decently sharp.”

“Mole sauce??”

“Tiger...” Warning note.

“Yes, Sabela.” Rolling her eyes.

“See you guys tomorrow, then. Have fun.” Kim leaves.

-090-

“So, you’re moving,” Ron said as he helped by pulling the books from her shelf and stuffing them into a box. “With no warning, and you can’t tell me why.”

“Um...yeah. Basically.”

“But you’ll be living on the campus of GJ from now on.”

“Yes.”

“Does it have to do with...that little girl I met?”

“You can come visit some time next week and I’ll explain it all then.” Once she’s made sure she can have visitors down there. She’s fairly sure she can.

“Gotcha. Is there anything you don’t want to take with you?”

“Anything from my kitchen, except the coffee maker.”

“Kim, you literally don’t even have a pan in your kitchen. Just dishes and cups and a few pieces of cutlery. The furniture is all staying, right?”

“Except the pictures, yeah. I’ll take them with me.” She’ll hang them in her room just for her. She’s tossing all her clothes into another box. There’s surprisingly little in it, and she wonders if she should let Monique take her shopping after all. She’s buried her underwear on the bottom. Her uniforms go in last. She can wear the short-sleeve version over her cast. “There’s a few boxes of the tweebs’ things in the closet with my coats. I’ll take those with me too.”

“Just pile it by the front door?”

“Yeah, GJ will come pick it all up with me in the morning.

“Cleaning supplies?”

“Leave them. GJ has their own.”

“Bathroom?”

“Put the towels in a box. I’ll get everything else.” Because feminine products are also embarrassing.

“Yes, ma’am.”

It took hardly any time at all, but Kim was exhausted by the end.

“You should probably take it easy the rest of the evening,” Ron said as he ordered them a pizza. “Your arm’s still pretty bad.”

“Urgh. I hate being injured.”

“Then stop getting hurt.”

“That isn’t helpful, Ron.”

“Best I got, KP. Sorry.”

-090-

The first week was...awkward. Except for Emmie. She was as happy as a pig in mud. 

Kim’s arrival the next morning had incited a flurry of activity. Emmie had helped in making the bed and carrying boxes into the bedroom. Her clothes Kim put off until later, but she let Emmie take her toiletries and place them in the bathroom. Her coffee maker went in the kitchen, and other than Shego’s comment that at least there would be a consistently decent cup in the morning nothing else was said. Which could honestly be used to describe the rest of the week. Neither spoke much, except in stilted, polite phrases as though waiting for something to snap. 

Five days later, Emmie found the game station. 

It was the tweebs’, but Kim kept it at her place so they would have something to entertain themselves with when they came over. She wondered how that was going to work now, but decided to deal with it later. 

“Can I set this up?” the girl had asked excitedly when she’d pulled it out of the box looking for a puzzle.

“If Shego doesn’t object, that’s fine.”

“Sure, go ahead.” From the table where she’s studying some sort of schematic.

The game station breaks the ice. They all gather around, and Shego teases Kim over how bad she is at it. Kim points out she’s playing with only one hand, and it’s her non-dominant hand. It’s an older station, so all the games are like ten years out of date. Emmie is absolutely fascinated.

“This is what you guys had to play on growing up?” she asked.

“Tiger, trust me, that is pure luxury compared to what was out when I was a kid,” Shego replied tartly. “Princess?”

“I didn’t play video games,” Kim said with a shrug as she watched. “I was always too busy doing other things. But I remember when this station came out and what a big deal it was. The tweebs did chores for months saving up to buy it.”

“Crazy, right? Because I remember seeing now where they’ve got that thing you can wear on your head to make you feel like you’re in the video game. And all things considered, they’re not horribly priced either.”

Emmie’s mouth drops open. “They’ve got  _ what _ ?!”

“I bet we have something like it around the GJ, maybe we’ll see if we can borrow it one weekend,” Kim replied thoughtfully. “It’s not like it’ll leave the building.”

Things, for some reason, got a little easier after that. 

-090-

Emmie’s visit with the judge before the papers are allowed to be signed. 

-090-

Shego’s first visit with the therapist. She wants to know how to deal with someone who has depression. The therapist is understanding and helpful. (RESEARCH)

-090-

Thanksgiving, a mexican feast with a few other agents coming down to eat with them. It’s mainly Emmie who cooks, and it’s all delicious.

-090-

Ron finally comes to visit. He and Emmie spend the whole time playing video games. Shego is goaded into joining, and getting her butt kicked. Kim laughs.

-090-


	4. Part 4

-090-

And things got easier still when their routine was established. Kim would rise early with Emmie, and they would have breakfast together at the kitchen table as they talked through the day ahead. Kim would leave by seven to get her desk work done, and Emmie would boot up her laptop to start her school work. She usually did whatever laundry needed doing too. 

Shego would roll out of bed around 8, which was still an ungodly hour in her opinion but better than 6, to shower and drink some coffee before heading off to work at nine. Guards would escort her to her training room, where she would meet with flight instructors and complete simulator runs to get in her ‘training hours’ required to legally pilot one of the GJ’s specialized aircraft. Even running non-stop for days, it would be months before she had logged enough for the most basic. At noon, the three would meet to eat in the GJ cafeteria. One to three would be Emmie and Shego’s time in the gym, and Kim would go back to her desk to finish more work (of which there was suddenly a great deal). At three Emmie and Shego would head back to the apartment to clean up and make dinner. Kim would head to the gym herself then, for her hour of physical therapy. By four thirty, she was back in the apartment, and after letting Emmie tape her arm in a plastic bag, would shower and dress for dinner. They would eat together, and talk about the day. Mostly Emmie talking, because she’s twelve. And then, they would pick something to do. A board game. A puzzle. Video game. Movie. Etc. Taking turns picking. Kim goes to bed at 9:30, as does Emmie. Shego usually turns in around 11 or 12. It works for everyone.

Until Christmas. 

Kim had quite purposefully ignored the upcoming holiday. Oh, she had presents bought for everyone, and plans made to visit a few friends in the days leading up to the big event. She just didn’t know what to do about her brothers.

Oh, she reasoned with herself, they’re into doing things. They’ll probably have someone they want to visit instead of me, and that’s fine. It’ll make not explaining things easier, because I have no idea how in the world to explain this. 

She managed to hang onto that hope until ten days before Christmas when the call finally came.

“So,” Tim said after pleasantries had been exchanged. “What’s the plan for Christmas?”

“Plan?” Surprised.

“Yeah. You always have a plan. So, what are we doing?”

“I was kind of expecting you to bail on me,” Kim admitted, feeling her stomach drop at the silence on the other end of the line. “So I haven’t made a plan yet.”

“...Kim, are you mad about Thanksgiving?”

“What? No.” Rolling her eyes. “I totally understand. And I ate a lot of delicious food with some friends. It was...a really good day. So there’s nothing at all for you to be worried about.”

“Then why would would assume we’d bail for Christmas? We haven’t missed Christmas together, since...” He can’t finish it.

“Yeah, I know, but you guys are growing up and I figured you would rather be with your friends than your boring big sister.”

“You aren’t boring, you’re embarrassing. There’s a difference.”

“I’ll remember that next time.”

“We’re spending Christmas with you. So what’s the plan?” 

Kim considers. “How about I come to your place? It will only be a few days, work and all, but it’ll be just us and you’ll have my full and undivided attention.”

“Sounds good! We still have the tree from last year. Do you need one of us to come get you? Y’know, with your arm broken and all?”

“Uh, let me get back to you on that. I have to figure out what days I can be away as it is.”

“Alright. Oh, and can you bring our old game station with you? Jim wants to play ______ over the holidays.”

“Um...”

“You didn’t get rid of it, did you?”

“No, I still have it. I, uh, lent it to a friend’s kid. She’s really enjoying it, so I’ll have to see if I can get it back before I come over.”

“Kim?”

“Yeah?”

“Are you hiding a boyfriend from us?”

“What? No! No, there’s no boyfriend in the picture at all. And none of your business.”

“I’m a nosy brother, everything’s my business.”

“Dweeb.”

“Talk to you soon, sis, and let me know about a ride.”

“Will do.”

It wasn’t an ideal plan, but she thought Shego and, more importantly, Emmie would understand. She could probably get away with just being gone for three days, and that would be it. Not bad, right?

Fifteen minutes later, her phone rang again. It was Jim this time.

“Hey, so, my brother’s an idiot,” he said as soon as she picked up. “The reason he was asking about our plans is we can’t stay in our apartment over Christmas. It’s having major repairs done to the water pipes, so everyone’s been told they have to get out for a week. Management will put us up in a hotel for a week if we ask, but it’s some cheap place on the other side of town that looks super sketch. So...can we come stay with you instead?”

“Uh....”

“There’s totally a secret boyfriend, isn’t there?” Tim, she’s on speaker phone.

“There is not!” Scrambling mentally. “I was thinking about it, and why don’t we go do something instead?”

“Like what?”

“We could...drive up to Lake Wachookee. I have a friend with a cabin we could probably borrow, and we could spend a few days hitting the ski slopes there. You can show me all the cool new moves you’ve learned on your snowboards.”

“You can’t ski, Kim. You’ve got a broken arm.”

“Then we can go somewhere else. If you’d rather be warmer, we could look south. Isn’t there a couple of museums in ________ you’re always going on about? We could spend four or five days there instead.” Which is longer than she wants to be away, but it’s not the end of the world.

“Really? We could do that?” They’re getting excited.

“Sure, it’s Christmas, and we missed Thanksgiving together. So...let’s make it special, right?”

“Yes! You’re the best, sis!”

“I said it first!”

“Did not, dork!”

“Did too! Kim, tell him he’s a lame brain.”

“You’re the lame brain.”

“Bye, boys, and don’t break anything.” She hangs up.

-090-

“And that’s why I’ll be gone for most of Christmas,” she finished over dinner that night with an apologetic shrug. “I can’t tell them anything. Not even that there’s something that I’m not allowed to tell them. They’re just too smart, and they’ll figure it out from something I don’t even realize I said or gave away.”

“Oh.” Emmie’s visibly disappointed.

“We’ll still have our plans, Emmie,” Shego said in what passed for gentle from her. “And there’s the sleepover in the holodome. Isn’t Stoppable bringing his kid sister to spend the day with you?”

“What?” News to Kim.

“You had to go to that meeting,” Emmie said. “Mr. Ron’s sister is coming to stay with him instead of the other way around. So, he’s going to do the holodome sleepover and I get to come too! I just can’t tell her who my mom is, beyond a pilot at GJ.”

“Oh. That does sound like fun.” And now she wants to go even less, because Ron will be around and that would be fun, hanging out with his sister and Emmie. Which makes her feel even worse, because Tim and Jim are her brothers and most of the only family she has left. 

“And Porkchop has already offered to let you go see Santa with her nieces on Christmas day, they’re putting an ice rink on the roof that night, and there’s supposed to be s’mores and hot chocolate afterwards. You’ll be so busy, you’ll hardly have time to notice she’s gone.”

“I guess so.” Brightening up a little.

And that, for some reason, makes Kim feel even worse.

“Well, I better get to looking up hotels, then. This close to Christmas, I better hope I can find something good left.”

“Right. C’mon, Tiger, dishes and then we’ll try to finish that puzzle you pulled out yesterday.”

“Ok, Sabela.”

-090-

A good deal Kim did not find, but she did find a pair of rooms that weren’t too out of her budget and a package deal on purchasing tickets to the three museums her brother’s had talked about before. She threw in a Christmas carol tour, and called it a day. It was, well, a lot more money than she liked to spend at one time but she could afford the cost. After all, between working a full-time job and her parents estate, her bank account was quite comfortably stuffed. But the spendthrift in her winced all the same.

Two days later, she called the boys to give them the news. It was not as excitedly received as she’d hoped.

“What’s wrong?” she asked when the other end went silent. She could feel them staring guiltily at each other from the other end of the line. 

“So...do you remember that grant we helped write for the school?”

“Which grant? You do, like, ten a year.”

“The rocket probe one, about the new design idea we have.”

“Let’s pretend I remember and move on.”

“It got accepted! Isn’t that great?”

“What’s the catch?”

“Our professor is going on sabbatical most of next semester, so he decided it would be best if we, uh, did it over Christmas break instead. Otherwise we’d have to wait until summer, and it might disqualify us from making use of the grant.”

“When did you find out?”

“...right after we decided we were going on the trip.”

“We were gonna call you!”

“Promise!”

“It was just so fast-”

“And we were super excited-”

“And everyone was making plans-”

“So we just-”

“Forgot.”

“Sorry.”

The desire to inform them of how much they owed her to pay her back for the rooms and tickets that wouldn't be used now was smothered by relief. Still, she couldn’t let them know that. Taking a deep breath, she said stiffly, “I take it you’ve already promised to stay and help?”

“Yes.”

“Where are you going to stay?”

“With Martin’s family. You’ve met them before.”

“And they don’t mind hosting you for a week?”

“No, they’ve offered to let us spend holidays with them before.” 

“They said if you want to come up too you can-

“-but the house is going to be kind of crowded-”

“-because some cousins are coming in too-”

“-and everyone’s just gonna crash on the floor...”

“No thank you.” 

They both sign in relief.

“We’ll make it up to you soon!”

“Promise!”

“You’re the  _ best _ !”

“Better than the best!”

“That’s not possible, lame brain.”

“You’re the lame brain-”

“I’m hanging up. I’ll call you in a few days. Bye.”

-090-

“What are you doing?” Emmie asked as Kim pulled out her laptop again that night after dinner.

“Canceling the hotel and tickets.”

“Why?”

“The Tweebs bailed on me, the dorks.” But she’s smiling.

“What for?”

“A rocket probe prototype...thing.”

“And that’s better than seeing you?”

“Apparently.” Shrugs. “They’re nerds.”

“Boys are weird.”

“Yes, they are.”

Shego tries to hide a smile.

-090-

Shego did not like being called to see Dr. Director without warning. She had kept strictly within the bounds of her parole, to the point that she hadn’t even stepped foot in the second bedroom yet. Still, she went with her reduced escort (three now, instead of six guards) up the elevator to the highest office and allowed herself to be strapped down into the chair before the big woman herself entered the room.

“Good morning, Miss Go,” Dr. Director said as she was allowed to entered the room with the all-clear given. “Thank you for taking the time from your very busy schedule to come and see me.”

“Sarcasm does not suit you, Dr. Director.” Dryly.

“Actually, I think it suits me just fine.”

“Is there a reason you deemed it necessary to call me up here?”

“Yes. An early Christmas gift.” She pulls out what looks like a watch. “Voila.”

“That’s nice. What is it?” Unamused.

“Let me show you.” She puts it on, and pushes a button. She looks ten years younger.

“And hologram?” Watching to see if she can spot the flicker. She can’t.

“Yes, but a special one. The problem with traditional holograms is they try to change too much. This one alters you on a scaling set of possibilities, most of which are undetectable by normal facial scans.”

“Because it’s simply adjusting what is already there, not altering your whole face.”

“Precisely.”

“And you’re giving it to me because...?”

“I’m letting you borrow it, so you can participate in the Christmas festivities with your daughter unobserved. Your movements will still be tracked, quite closely, and if you step so much as a toe outside of your allowed boundaries the shoot-to-kill order will be given. I didn’t make that rule, but please don’t force us to enforce it.”

“But other than that, I’ll be allowed to be there, with Emmie, for all of it?”

“Yes.”

Shego would swear later she didn’t cry, and Dr. Director pretended not to see the tear that tracks its way to her chin.

“Thank you.”

“Consider a reward for good behaviour.” Walking back out, slapping her on the shoulder as she goes. “It’ll be programed to look more like Emmie. You’ll get it the day before Christmas Eve. Enjoy!”

“Yes, ma’am.” Hastily wiping her eyes on her shoulder. 

-090-

Everything was set. Kim had finished wrapping her presents two days ago, and they were all hidden in her bedroom. As Emmie wasn’t as crafty as her mom, and Shego couldn’t go in the bedroom, Kim figured they were safe enough for now. She was finally without her sling, though her cast was still in place. She wouldn’t be ice skating this year, but Shego could now go with Emmie due to the holowatch that was to be placed on her this morning. Kim was released from all duties except being on call, like everyone else, as of noon and she was looking forward to everything getting started. 

She was making her way back to her office to drop off a final load of papers, when she realized her door was open. Stepping carefully inside, she was met by the twin frowns of her twin brothers.

“So, we go some extra time,” Tim said far too casually.

“And decided to come crash for a day with you-” Jim added, not casually at all.

“-because the polymer was going to take 24 hours to set.”

“Except we went to your apartment-”

“-which is apparently no longer yours.”

“And our key didn’t work.”

“So we asked the landlord-”

“- _ after _ he yelled at us-”

“-and he says he doesn’t know you just left-”

“-like a month ago-”

“-so we called Ron-”

“-and he tells us you moved-”

“-but he can’t say where to-”

“-and we should come here-”

“-to find out why.”

Together, frowning. “Is it a boyfriend?”

“No! No, it’s-”

“Tia Roja!” Emmie bounds through the door, jumping on Kim’s back before seeing the boys over her shoulders. She stares at them in surprise. “Who’s that?”

Tim, pointing at the girl. “Who’s that, sis?”

“Princess, did Emmie take you out at the knees? Because she almost had me on the-” Shego walks in. Only it’s not Shego, this woman has skin the same color as Emmie’s and her face is just slightly more feminine. Kim stares for a minute as Shego eyes Tim and Jim. 

“Sis?” Jim, raising one eyebrow. “Is she your girlfriend?”

“Yes,” said Emmie at the same time Shego and Kim both said, “No.”

“ _ Esmeralda Maria Santiago. _ ” Shego did not need to raise her voice, but with tone she didn’t need to. Pointing outside, she said, “Now!”

Pouting, the girl let go of Kim’s neck and dropped to the ground.

“We’ll see you at lunch,” Shego said to Kim as she turned to follow her daughter out the door. “Or not. Let me know.”

“Yeah, sure.” She shuts the door behind them, then turns to face her brothers. “So-”

There was a knock on the door. “Come in,” Kim said, exasperated.

“Agent Possible.” It’s Agent Du.

“Agent Du!” Tim and Jim together, smiling.

“Looks like I made it just in time.” Smiling back. “Have a seat, boys, I think I can clear this up.”

“Will do.”

“Pardon?”

“Nothing.” They both grin, and sit down.

“Dr. Director put a code out to flag anyone who came to see you, and push through emergency clearance on what they can know so we don’t have a Ron Stoppable repeat.” He winces. “The only reason so few heads rolled on that one was his previous level of security clearance and his overall trustworthiness.”

“Oh, this sounds like fun.”

“Yeah, probably a good secret.”

“It is,” Will Du agreed. “But here’s my recommendation. You two are smart, really smart. So you’re probably going to figure out what I don’t tell you. Don’t ask questions, and don’t tell anyone. Because if we confirm at all that you have access to classified secrets, you will be detained for an unspecified amount of time. And it will not be in comfort. The GJ takes certain secrets very seriously, and this is one of them. Deal?”

“Yeah, alright. So, what’s the sitch?” Grinning at his sister.

“Agent Possible, your sister, has undertaken a top-secret missing for the GJ. It includes taking over the guardianship of a young girl. No.” Tim was opening his mouth. “No questions. I’m telling you what you are allowed to know. If you figure anything and I do mean  _ anything at all _ out, you keep it to yourself. Otherwise it’s going to be a couple of months in a cell being cross-examined, do you understand?”

“Yes sir.” They both look serious for once. Good.

“Good. Now, the mission requires that Kim live on GJ property for the time being. She didn’t tell you because she wasn’t supposed to. The mission isn’t physically demanding, but it does require her to be around certain individuals. I will not confirm who those individuals are, nor will your sister. Questions asking for confirmation will result in the previously mentioned cross-examination. This will not change for at least a year, perhaps longer. You are allowed to visit her here in GJ, and to visit her apartment. She is currently sharing it with Sabela, a pilot for GJ, and her daughter, Emmie, for security purposes that I will not go further into. Do you have any questions?”

“No,” Tim said quickly.

“Excellent. Now, have a nice visit with your sister. See you boys later.”

“Thanks.”

“Any time. It’s not often I come to the rescue of the amazing Kim Possible.”

“Ha.”

The door shuts again.

“So,” Kim said as she eyed them both carefully. “Do you want to stay and pretend there’s a lot of things you don’t see, or find somewhere else to go? You can’t stay the night, but you can probably crash with Ron.”

“He said as much,” Jim replied with a shrug. 

“We’ll stay,” Tim added after a shared glance. “If you’re busy on a top-secret mission, we probably won’t see you again until Easter, when we’re supposed to go out and spend a week with Uncle Slim.” 

“You will be able to still, right?” Jim added as she frowned.

“Ah, I think so, yes,” she replied with a shrug. “It will probably depend...but I can’t say more. Sorry.”

“It’s alright.” Together. Group hug.

-090-

The cafeteria was packed, but not packed enough to distract Sabela, as her ID proclaimed her to the world, from her mischievous daughter.

“Not funny, Tiger,” she said as she continued to maintain her ‘stern’ face. “If you want to poke fun at me, that’s fine. I know how you are, you’re my mini-me. But not at Kim like that, and especially not in front of her family.”

Big eyes. “That was her family?”

“Her little brothers, yeah. I’m pretty sure. It’s been awhile, but they look pretty much the same.”

And suddenly Kim’s there, sitting across from them with both brothers behind her. “Sabela and Emmie, this is Tim and Jim. Don’t worry if you get that backwards, everyone does.”

“Except I’m much handsomer than him,” Tim said with a grin.

“Might be, but I’m smarter.” Jim smirks. 

“Are not, lame brain.”

“Boys.” Warning note. “I want soup and a salad. Fetch.”

“That only works because we’re both hungry and want to eat too.”

“I’ll still take it.”

They leave.

Shego gives her a look. Kim ignores it. “They are cleared to know a few things. Assume that unless I tell you otherwise, they don’t know. They’re hanging out with us today. Ok?”

“I bet they have some fun stories to tell.” Emmie, grinning.

“They probably do,” Kim agreed dryly. “Just promise not to try any of their science experiments unsupervised.”

“Ok.”

The twins come back with the promised food. Emmie asks about what they do, and they start talking about rockets. Surprisingly, Sabela gets involved, because she knows quite a bit about rockets. In the end, Emmie and Kim are the ones left out, but they smile and shrug and let them go at it.

Day before Christmas Eve activities: 

The Penguin Slide: a massive, three story slide where you ride on a mat shaped like a penguin. Supposedly it’s for the kids, but the adults love it more. There is also a bounce house maze and a snow cone machine. 

Christmas Carol-Off: A singing competition. It goes on all day, and people come and go watching it in progress. Some of the renditions are quite funny, and in a few cases Emmie gets her ears covered as people colorfully rewrite the songs. 

The Ice Rink: A massive skating area on the roof. Kim can’t skate, and Shego’s not a fan. Tim and Jim offer to take Emmie around for a spin. They like showing off. It’s pretty funny. But cloudy and cold, so they only stay out for a bit. Shego mutters about usually not minding the cold this much.

Meet Santa: Tim and Jim get their picture taken, and convince Emmie to go with them for the last one. One of their shadows motions that he’ll take care of it after they leave. 

Snowball Fight: In the gym. All the equipment is stacked up against the far wall, and everyone is provided with cotton poofs to throw at each other. Kim has to sit out because of her arm, and Sabela elects to sit with her. (Her skills would probably be too showy.) But Tim and Jim take Emmie and they have a blast!

Sabela says she doesn’t mind cooking for all of them, and they go back to the apartment. Tim and Jim say nothing about the fact that it’s in the prisoner section of the GJ headquarters. Sabela cooks and Kim somewhat assists (Tim and Jim rag her relentlessly about her lack of cooking abilities) as Emmie, Tim and Jim settle in to play video games.

The Tim and Jim are surprisingly good with Emmie throughout, and it makes Kim smile every time she sees them together. It makes Shego a bit sad, because it’s obvious to her how much her daughter is missing her father. 

Dinner is a roasted whole chicken, with carrots and mashed potatoes and homemade gravy. The boys are in  _ heaven _ , and heap praises upon the smirking Sabela. Kim is having the hardest time not laughing. Tim attempts some flirting, and Emmie tells him to not be gross. That stops that in it’s tracks. 

Kim walks the boys to the front afterwards, and hugs them both. 

“Your present is in the mail” etc

Merry Christmases all around. Hugs.

“So, I do have one question. Seriously.”

“Be careful, you’re still on GJ property.” Warning.

“Is Sabela single?”

“I believe so.” Cautious.

“So...do you think she likes younger men?” Making what he thinks is a smooth face. “Younger-younger men? Because she is one foxy lady.”

Kim laughs.

Tim pouts and his brother consoles him laughing as they leave.

-090-

“Please, turn that off.” Kim about Shego’s watch.

“Why? You don’t think I’m pretty?”

“I think you’re prettier as you.” Over her shoulder on the way to the bathroom. When she comes back, the watch is off. Emmie is grinning and Shego  _ might _ be blushing. She doesn’t mention it, however.

-090-

Christmas Eve they spend away from the activities until Ron shows up around lunch time. Do the rounds again, with the same results. Emmie is in heaven. Shego and Kim do a lot of watching. It still messes with Kim every time she glances over and sees hologrammed Shego. 

That night she and Sabela attend the adult party while Rob takes Emmie and a sleeping bag to the holodome. It’s mainly dancing and talking, and Sabela gets asked to dance several times. Kim gets spoken to by everyone, as she’s pretty easily recognizable. Neither drinks.

They head back to the apartment late, after swinging by the holodome. Ron is still awake, Emmie is out like most of the kids. At the apartment, they sit together on the couch with only a lamp on and talk for a bit. It’s reminiscing about Christmas and the people they miss the most during the holidays. No touching, but very touching nonetheless.

-090-

Christmas morning. Emmie wakes Kim by launching herself on the bed. 

“Tia Roja!! Feliz Navidad!!” 

Kim groans. She was up way too late for this.

“You too?” Rolling her eyes. “Can I go open my present?”

“From me? Yes. Let me sleep at least another hour. And make coffee.”

“Yes, Tia Roja.”

-090-

Kim woke herself up the second time, her body protesting that she really did need to get up and use the bathroom. So she did. She’s still in her jammies, but wearing a bra because she hates not wearing a bra around other people now.

Presents:

Kim gives Emmie one of her original Kim Possible outfits. There’s a few stains on it, but the cloth is all whole. Emmie is over the moon. Kim gives Shego something small but meaningful. A necklace? Jewelry doesn’t seem right. A book about a language she doesn’t know? Or a book about the history of languages? A complete replacement of her favorite make-up. 

Shego’s Christmas presents to them is homemade french toast casserole, made with homemade bread. She’s been working on it for a few days. There will also be a chicken pot pie from scratch later just waiting to be baked, and a cake.

Emmie’s gift to them both are sweaters. Kim’s is purple and Shego’s is green. Kim’s doesn’t fit over her cast, so she says she’ll wear it soon but not yet. 

Ron shows up eventually (he’s been asleep this whole time) and he gets fed on the casserole and brings in more gifts. Emmie gets a few new cartridges for her game station. Kim gets a cooking for dummies book. Shego, to her shock, gets a beautiful set of kitchen knives.

“You’re giving me these.”

“Yeah.” Carelessly. “I’ve got like, six other sets, but GJ made it clear I couldn’t give you a ceramic set. So this is the best one of the ones that were allowed.”

“This is expensive! I can’t-”

“It was free, to be honest. Companies send me samples all the time in hopes that I’ll support their product. That’s one of the samples I got. They’ve never been used, it’s a good set but I’m partial to the wood handles of the one’s I’ve got.”

“Well...thanks.” A bit shocked.

Ron receives a sweater too, and a book from KP. He doesn’t eat much, because he’s saving room for the fruitcake eating contest.

Late morning, they emerge to go do the rounds. Visit Santa for their presents (various electronics) and cheer Ron on in the fruitcake eating contest. One more trip down the Penguin slide, and then back down to cook the pie. Ron is too full to eat. The pie is delicious, and the cake is brought out. They break out a puzzle, but eventually Ron and Emmie go to try out one of her new games.

Shego admits it’s the best Christmas she’s had in years. Kim agrees that it might be for her too.

-090-

New Year’s Eve celebration. Just Kim, Shego and Emmie.

-090-

Shego, as a general rule, didn’t get sick. Her plasma-based powers simply didn’t allow harmful germs to survive as her body temperature was much higher than a normal humans. You didn’t notice it unless you were right next to her, but it was simply one of those things that made her Shego. 

Still, as she well knew, freak accidents happened, and she figured the sluggishness that had been creeping up on her for weeks was her body succumbing to the inevitable. Put this many people in a building together, and germs were bound to spread. And while GJ had strict cleaning and sick day policies, you would always have some tit who thought they knew better and came in with a cold. 

It was with this mind that Shego told Kim she was staying in bed for a day. 

“Everything alright?”

“Just a cold, probably.” She shrugged. “I’ll sleep, and that should be enough. I’m pretty good at kicking things fast.”

“Like ass?”

“Emmie, language,” Kim said automatically.

“You do realize Sabela says stuff like that all the time.”

“Yeah, but she’s not my responsibility like you are.”

“Fine...”

“Get some rest, Shego. I’ll check on you around lunch time.”

“Ok.”

Kim comes back at lunchtime, heats up a can of chicken noodle soup. Takes it in to Shego. Shego is sleeping, so she leaves it to the side. She wakes her and says there’s soup, then leaves ago. Shego seems groggy, but when she comes back an hour later the soup is gone and Shego is sleeping again. Kim hates being woken up, so despite being worried she leaves her alone. 

That night, Shego comes out for a bit wrapped in a blanket. She drinks some tea, but that’s all, and goes right back to sleep. Kim is a little more worried, but Emmie asks to sleep with her when Shego starts to snore. You can’t truly be sick if you’re snoring, right?

Emmie has a special something with someone early the next morning so she leaves when Kim promises to check on Shego. She’s gone when her foster mother sticks her head into the room with the bunk beds.

“Shego?” Kim asked as she slowly opened the door incase the woman was up and getting dressed.

She wasn’t. The form in the bed didn’t move a muscle as Kim softly stepped inside, nor when she laid a hand on one cotton clad shoulder.

It took her a moment to realize what she was feeling. The flesh under her fingers, the flesh that as normally so warm it was almost too hot to comfortably touch, was barely luke-warm.

Kim was often annoyed by the invasiveness of the microphones and the cameras in the apartment. It generally made her feel like an animal in the zoo. But in that moment, she would have agreed to live with it for the rest of her life because the speed in which help arrived was likely the only reason the plasma powered ex-villain was still alive thirty minutes later. 

Agent Possible ran alongside the stretcher as they took the fast track to the ICU unit of the GJ headquarters. The emergency responder on the other side yelled questions back and forth, and she answered to the best of her ability. Later, they would tell her she did very well considering the circumstances, but she could never recall it as more than a passing blur. 

The stretcher burst through double doors, and sudden Kim was being shoved back by nurses and doctors that swarmed the too-still body. 

“BP is dropping...”

“Oxygen saturation below 80%.”

“Get a crash cart in here, we might need it.”

“Pulse under 60.”

“Temperature isn’t registering, but she’s obviously too cold...”

Kim was grabbed by an orderly and escorted from the room.

“Wait here, Agent Possible,” he said as he positioned her outside the double doors. And before she could reply he was gone, the doors shutting off the shouts and calls to no more than a muffled whisper. 

Numbly, she stepped back to lean against the opposite wall, and tried not to cry.

Shit.

-090-

The door opened, and one of the doctors came out.

“Agent Possible,” he said as he stuck out a hand to shake hers firmly. “I understand you called Miss Go’s condition into emergency?”

“I did. Yes. How she?”

“Stable, for now. We aren’t sure what happened, but it appears we’ve slowed whatever it is that’s happening to her. We’ve drawn some blood to run cultures, and a few other samples of body fluids. She is still unconscious right now. We’ve not tried to wake her yet, but to be honest I’m not sure she should awaken until she’s a bit stronger. Another episode like that, and I’m not sure we could pull her back from the edge in time. Can you tell me what happened?”

Kim went over the whole thing.

“That doesn’t help me much, but I’ll put it in front of our disease specialists and they may be able to do something with it. In the meantime, Miss Go is being admitted to a room. She is handcuffed to the bed, per regulations as to her status, and a guard will be posted outside at all times. According to her record she has a daughter...?”

“Yes. She’s...in the building, taking lessons right now. I’ll bring her as soon as you tell me where her mother will be.”

“I suggest you bring her quickly. She should be present in case she needs to say goodbye.”

“It’s not that serious, is it? You said that she’s stable.”

“She’s not a normal human, Agent Possible. And we have absolutely no idea what’s causing this. Her condition is stable...in so far as we are able to tell. Some of our machines do not seem to register her vitals correctly, though so...” He shrugs. “We’re doing our best. Get her daughter, and be as gentle as you can telling her truth.”

“I will.”

-090-

Kim found Emmie in the cafeteria, laughing with Porkchop and Puss. It seemed strange, hearing them laugh. How could they, when...? But they didn’t know. She didn’t know how they couldn’t know, couldn’t they feel it? The heaviness in the air. The stillness that threatened to break if disturbed too much...

“Agent Possible?”

Kim blinked, and looked at Agent Du who was standing beside her. “Will,” she said, her voice numb.

“Are you alright?”

She didn’t answer. Instead, she said, “Get me a few sandwiches, Will, the ones packed to go. And a few bottles of water. The vending machines in the hospital section are always broken.”

Something in her face stilled his questions. He went.

Kim approached the, and nodded to Agent Thomas’ wave.

“Emmie,” she said as calmly as she could, “We need to go right now. Will’s bringing us a to go lunch, but we need to go. Now.”

“Do you think they could wrap mine up?” she asked. “This salad is really good.”

“Esmeralda.” Kim had never used her full name before, and the young woman’s head snapped up in surprise. Whatever she saw in Kim’s face, it popped her to her feet.

“Agent Possible,” Agent Portillo said she turned to look at her. “What is it?”

Kim didn’t answer her either. Emmie hurried all the faster. Will met them at the door, trotting the last few steps to put the bag of food and water in Kim’s hands before they disappeared out the door. Emmie had to take two steps for each one of Kim’s, but she grimly kept on.

“Is it Sabela?” she finally asked when they were alone in a long stretch of hallway.

“Yes,” Kim answered, unsure of what else to say. What else she could say.

A pause. “Is it bad?”

“Well, it’s not good.” Kim grimaces. Of course the girl knows that. “It’s...I don’t know. The doctors aren’t even sure what to think. Your mother is...different, you know that.”

“Yes, I know.” More softly. “Is she going to die?”

“No.” She doesn’t care if she’s lying. “So what we’re going to do is camp out in her room until she gets better. We have some sandwiches and water, and if we need more I’ll send someone for them. Rank and seniority has to have some privileges, sometimes.”

“Coffee?”

“We’ll mooch from the nurses station. They usually keep a pot on at all hours.”

“Ok.”

She takes Kim’s hand, and Kim fiercely squeezes it in her own. Shego’s  _ not going to die _ .

They won’t let her.

-090-

The first few hours weren’t too bad. The doctors had decided to begin a drip of medication to keep Shego sedated should she show signs of awakening. The TV had cable, and Emmie let herself be drawn into daytime cartoons as she nibbled on a sandwich and drank her water. Kim was less able to rest, but her pacing was slow enough that it bothered no one and kept her both calm and relaxed.

Around dinner their first guests appeared. Shroom and Puss, with another bag of sandwiches and water in hand.

“Dr. Director passed the word around,” Agent Portillo said as she glanced at the too-still figure in the bed. “Any change?”

“None,” Kim said quietly, trying to keep the conversation from Emmie’s ears as the girl watched her cartoons and held her mother’s free hand. “In either direction. They’re still running tests, so...”

“Do you want us to stay with Emmie a bit? So you can...go for a walk? Clear your head, maybe?”

“No, no. I need to stay here, in case....I just need to be here.” Said quickly at the end.

“Of course. Kat said she and Will are going to come by later this evening. Can I have them bring you anything?”

“Uh, no. Hopefully...hopefully, we won’t be here too much longer.”

“Right.”

It was after their silent dinner that things began to go downhill. 

It took Kim awhile to realize it. She stared obsessively at the monitors, but often didn’t see the numbers they gave. A pattern, however, began to emerge and it was one she didn’t like. Telling Emmie she was going to use the bathroom and get some coffee, she slipped out down to the nurses’ station.

“You noticed,” Alex said as he saw her coming. “The doctor has been notified. We’re waiting to see what they say. I’ve recommended a few injections to stabilize her numbers.”

“How soon should we hear back?”

“Very soon. She’s considered a high-priority patient, and her condition critical. The hold-up is probably the team arguing over what the best way forward is. That always happens when you get the disease specialists involved.” He rolls his eyes. His phone goes off. “Alex. Yes. Yes. Uh-huh. Got it. Yes sir.” Hang up. “Two changes to my plan, but it should still do the trick.” He has most of it already prepared, changes out two of the bottles, and they go.

In the room, he begins to draw fluid from the various bottles into clean syringes.

“What’s he doing?” Emmie, from her seat.

“Giving your mom something to help.”

“Is it because her numbers are dropping?”

So she did notice. “Yes. But it’s slowly, so hopefully this will help. They...may even go back up?” Addressed to the nurse.

“Well, yes, they should.” Shrugging. Doesn’t add that they already should have done so, this is Shego’s second dose.

“Ok.”

Two hours of relative peace. The numbers starts to drop again. It’s a bit quicker this time, over an hour’s time. It’s now 10 pm. The nurse comes to do another round. Emmie has moved to the couch, and is lying down staring at her mom. Kim takes her seat at the bedside. Impulsively holds Shego’s hand.

“C’mon, Shego. You have to wake up. You have to beat this.”

Midnight, the drop begins again. At 1, they give the shots. This time, they only make it to 2. At 3 another round of shots. They don’t make it to four. By 5 am, they’ve given her the final dose they can give her. The doctors have been in twice and have no answers. Shego is dying.

Emmie remains on the couch, not hardly even breathing but refusing to come closer. At 6 am, they’re watching the numbers slowly begin to dip again. If they go to low, the nurses have the crash cart prepped. They are preparing to intubate her, and put her on a machine to stabilize her if that doesn’t work. 

“Can I open the blinds?”

Kim blinked blearily at Emmie, who was suddenly standing beside her.

“What?” she asked, her voice hoarse with held-in tears. 

“The blinds. It’ll be sunrise soon. She likes the sunrise. Can I?”

“Yeah, of course.” Rubbing at her grainy eyes, and staring at the numbers again. Is it her sleep deprivation, or are the heartbeats getting erratic? Oh God, no. No. 

She holds the limp hand tighter, because she doesn’t know what else to do. 

Emmie moves from window to window, opening the blinds that have kept the room in perpetual twilight for the last day. The sky is just starting to lighten in the east, it will probably be a good hour before the sun actually rises. Kim wonders if Shego will even live that long. 

The room holds it breath. 

Thirty minutes. The stutter in the heartbeat is not imagined now. Kim’s heart stutters a little with it each time she hears the struggled beeps from the machine. 

The sky is now noticeably lighter. 

“Emmie,” Kim said as she saw the nurses begin to gather. “Perhaps you should leave. I don’t think your mom would want you to see this.”

“I wasn’t there for my dad.”

“Alright. You’ll stay with me.” Kim stands, moving the chair aside as the men and women began to gravely file in. 

The sun peaked over the city below...and Shego breathed.

(Add in that up until this point Kim has been wracking her brain as to what’s going on.)

“Oh, you can’t be serious,” she said to herself as the nurses turned to watched the beeping monitors. “Are we really that stupid?”

“Kim?” Emmie, worried.

“Get the blinds up now! All the way! Hurry!”

“What?”

Kim obeys her own words, dashing about the room and yanking everything open as wide as it will go. Sunlight pours in, and the monitors immediately go crazy. Nurses go crazy accordingly. Kim, on a hunch, deactivates the bracelets neutralizing Shego’s powers. 

Shego catches on fire. 

-090-

By lunchtime, the story had spread through GJ and was growing with each retelling. Did you hear? Did you hear? Shego caught the hospital wing on fire! It was an accident, no it was an attempt to escape! No one was hurt, half the staff is dead! It was just one room. I heard the entire wing is gone. You could see it from the parking lot. I bet you could see it from the city! And then, did you hear what happened next? 

_ Kim Possible refused to let them shoot her! _

Stood there, bold as brass. Said, don’t you dare! This was the GJ’s fault, and we’re going to make it right! And...they didn’t. Because, who in their right mind would make an enemy of Kim Possible?

Bet she’s up with Dr. Director now, being torn a new one. 

Yeah...maybe...but...

What if she’s right?

-090-

“The evidence,” Dr. Director said slowly, “is compelling.”

“The evidence is irrefutable unless you’re an imbecile,” Kim shot back bluntly, not in the mood for games. “We’re lucky, honestly, that she made it this long and that she’d moved to the new apartment when it happened. She probably wouldn’t have survived the trip from the old. It’s too far.

“That would have been...problematic.”

“That’s putting it lightly. If she’d died in GJ custody, the effects would have been catastrophic on a political scale. And on a personal front, Emmie would have been devastated.”

“And you, Agent Possible?”

Kim doesn’t reply.

“Did you know for certain she was no threat?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“No, Kim. I don’t mean ‘did you believe it unlikely’ or ‘wanted to hope that it wasn’t true’. I mean did you, to your bones, know that she wasn’t a threat to you or the other soldiers who piled into the room when the fire alarms went off?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“I don’t suppose you would tell me  _ how _ you knew?” Sarcastic.

“No, ma’am.”

“Very well, Agent Possible. No disciplinary actions will be taken at this time, against you or Miss Go. The entire situation is being labeled...extraordinary, and will hopefully be forgotten as quickly as possible. Although given the rumors currently running rampant through the building, it’s hard to say when that will be.” She’s glaring. Kim doesn’t care.

“Am I dismissed, then?”

“Yes, Agent Possible, you may go.”

“Thank you, ma’am.”

-090-

Shego hadn’t realized how  _ tired  _ she’d been until she  _ gloried _ in the feel of the energy and life that filled her now.

Sunlight. She soaked it in like a bone-dry sponge dropped in a bucket. Oh, god, had it really been months since she’d done this? No wonder she’d felt like crap. 

The reestablished neutralizers on her wrists kept the flow at a relatively low rate, but she didn’t care. The door behind her opened, and she turned to see Kim standing there watching with a small smile. 

“See something you like, Princess?” she asked, smirking.

“You, not dead?” Kim replied as she closed the door behind her and leaned against it. “Yeah, I definitely like that.”

Long awkward silence. Shego’s back in a hospital dressing gown, standing in the sun. She’ll never forget stepping out of the melting bed, her clothes falling to ash as guards with guns rushed in. And Kim, standing in front of her with her arms spread wide telling the guards to stop. Not her. She’d, against all logic, trusted Shego over the guards. It had been...shocking. And a few other things.

“Emmie finally fell asleep,” she said, to keep herself from saying something else.

“So I see,” nodding at the girl on the couch. “I’m about to pass out myself.”

“Help yourself.” They brought a new bed, and Shego motions to it. “I won’t sleep for hours yet. Not until the sun goes down.”

“What did the doctor’s say?”

“To get plenty of sunshine. I’m to spend a few hours on the roof each week from now. That’s my kind of orders.”

“You’re going to sunbath up there once the weather gets warm, aren’t you?” Teasing as she sits on the bed. “The guards won’t know where to look.”

“Yes they will, that’s the bikini is there for,” Shego replied with a lascivious smile. Kim just rolls her eyes. “Besides, the more skin bared the more I can absorb from the sun.” Pausing. “Thanks, by the way.”

“For what?” Eyes closed as she sits back in the propped up hospital bed. It’s not very comfortable, but her body doesn’t care.

“For helping me. For caring enough to help. For...everything.”

Kim’s asleep.

Shego smiles, covers her with the blanket, and turns back to the sun.

-090-

“You have got to be fuckin’ kidding me.”

The Doctor did not budge, despite the plasma-level glare attempting to bore through him from one green ex-villain. Kim was impressed.

“You’re not well enough to leave yet,” he said, folding his arms like a father dealing with an unruly child. 

“That’s ridiculous!” Shego snorted, hands on hips. “I feel fine.”

“I’ll make you a deal then,” the Doctor said with a smile that should have been warning enough all on it’s own. “You did a physical for us when you first came. If you can pass the same physical, you can leave.”

“Done.”

“Good. Let’s start with thirty push-ups. Go.”

-090-

“So...explain it to me again what happened,” Emmie said as she followed Kim back to the apartment without Shego in tow.

“The best I understand it is this,” Kim said as she tried to arrange her thoughts. “The sun powers your mom’s abilities. But she’d been deprived of the sun for so long in the amounts she was used to getting that even though she feels better after almost ten hours in direct sunlight, it’s not enough to replenish months of not getting any. Her energy is...short-term. She has to build up her stamina again.”

“And the Doctors want her to stay in the hospital wing in case she crashes again before she gets enough sunlight.”

“Exactly. I don’t think she will. Her numbers were much stronger than yesterday. But she made the deal: until she can pass the physical she can’t come back to the apartment.”

“Did she really only make it to five?”

“Yeah.” Grinning. “The shock on her face was hysterical.”

“Did the Doctor say ‘I told you so’?”

“Not with words. His grin sure did, though.” Throwing an arm around the girl. “She’ll be fine now. A few days sunbathing, and she’ll be back in the apartment with us.”

“Yeah.”

They walk in the door, and they find a hot dinner waiting for them along with one Ron Stoppable.”

“Ron,” Kim said, surprised, “What are you...?”

“Its Tuesday,” he said as though it should be obvious. “Taco Tuesday? Remember?”

“I completely forgot. It’s been-”

“I know. Dr. Director filled me in. So I made food, because I bet you would be hungry.” Emmie looks worried. “Don’t worry, I already made up a plate and sent it to your mom. I would have just brought it all to her room, but I didn’t have enough arms to carry it all and I wasn’t sure if they would let me in so...”

“Who did you find that would take a plate of your tacos to Shego without stealing one?” Kim asked as she began to prepare herself a plate.

“Me,” said Agent Du from the door. “Plate delivered as asked, Ron. She was pretty happy to see them, and said you were officially no longer a dork. Her words, not mine.”

“I’ll take it either way,” Ron said with a laugh. “Come on and help yourself. There’s plenty.”

“Don’t mind if I do.”

Taco Tuesday usually involved an epic round of video games, but neither Kim or Emmie had managed more than a handful of hours of sleep during the day, and shortly after dinner both were yawning ferociously. 

“Why don’t you two turn in?” Ron offered as he started to clear the table. “I’ll clean up and leave when I’m done. You look exhausted.”

“But I should help.” Around a yawn.

“Seriously, don’t. Just go to sleep.”

“Can I stay with you tonight?” Emmie.

“Yeah, sure. Go get your pjs.”

Emmie goes. Will offers to help Ron.

“Are you sure, Ron?” Kim, swaying on her feet.

“Yes! Go to sleep, you can take over clean up next time.”

“I’ll hold you to that!” as she’s walking towards the bedroom.

“So,” Will said as he began to fill the sink with water. “You’ve heard Shego was sick. Did you hear what happened this morning, though?”

“No, Dr. Director didn’t mention that part.”

“It was pretty crazy, and it’s got some people wondering just how close Kim and Shego are now.”

“How come?”

“Well, here’s what happened-”

It wasn’t as embroidered as some of the tales floating around Headquarters, but it wasn’t far off. And at the end, Ron’s jaw had to be scraped off the floor.

“So she turned into a flaming demon from hell with the sunrise, and Kim decided it would be a good idea to step between her and the small army wielding guns?” he asked as he dried the last of the dishes. “Geez...I miss all the good stuff.”

“So, you don’t think there’s anything going on between them?”

“Why?” Confused.

“Because of what she did. She directly disobeyed given orders, and then supposedly went in and gave as good as she got with the Director. Kim Possible never does that!”

“Maybe not the Agent, but she used to do stuff like that all the time.” Shrugging. “I wouldn’t look into it too much if I were you.”

“Well, you do know her better than most...”

“True.”

Still, it sticks in Ron’s head, and as he’s riding home he can’t help but wonder, what if...?

-090-

“So,” Kim said the next morning as they both rushed to get ready for the day, “I’m going to see your mom for lunch. Do you want to come too?”

“Um, no. I don’t think so.” Looking away.

“Are you sure?” Surprised. “I don’t mind adjusting when a little bit if...”

“No, I’ll see her tonight. We’re going to eat dinner with her, right? If she can’t pass the test?”

“That’s right.”

“Then...I’ll see her then.”

“If you’re sure.”

“I am.”

“Ok.”

-090-

Shego opened her eyes as there was a knock on the door. She was still wearing the hospital gown, as it bared quite a bit of her skin, but wasn’t hooked to any of the machines anymore. After ‘accidentally’ yanking the probes off four times, they’d given it up. 

“Just me,” said Kim as she stuck her head in the door. “If you’re busy, though...”

“Don’t you dare,” Shego replied as she turned so she was facing the redheaded woman. “I’ve been staring out this window for six hours now. I’m bored out of my skull.”

“Sorry, I should have brought your tablet up with me.”

“S’ok, probably couldn’t have seen it through the glare of the sun.” Waves a disgusted hand at the TV. “Same reason I can’t watch that. This is the worst.”

“I thought being told to sunbathe was the best?” Teasing.

“It was a judgement made too soon. This is  _ definitely  _ the worst, Princess.” Grumbling. “And don’t get too close, I’m starting to smell like this place.”

“Yeah, it sort of settles in your hair and on your clothes,” Kim agreed with a shrug. “I remember that from...before.” Looks down and clears her throat. “Emmie and I are going to bring you pizza for dinner. Do you have a preference on what kind?”   
  


“What, no faith in my powers of recovery?”

“Have you tried to do more push ups today?” One brow raised.

“I don’t want to jinx myself.” Loftily.

“You almost died.” Not looking at her. “That’s going to take some time to get over.”

“For me or for you?” Snarky. She regrets it as soon as she says it.

“Both.” The quiet word surprises them both as well. 

“Pineapple and bacon and banana peppers.” To change the topic.

Kim makes a face.

“It’s delicious, Princess. If you would try it you would know that.” Teasing.

“Simple and plain does not mean boring. Cheese pizza by itself is delicious.”

“Yes, it is, but pineapple and bacon and banana peppers is better.”

“No it’s not. Just the sound of it is grossing me out.”

“Aww, is Princess scared of the big, grown-up pizza?”

“No, just indigestion and possibly food poisoning.”

“You’ll be in the hospital when you eat it. What better place to be sick?” Ironic. 

“Ha. ha. Ha.”

-090-

“You alright, kid?” Agent Thomas asked as Emmie flopped her landing for the third time in a row.

“Yeah,” the girl replied with a scowl. “It’s fine. I’ll get it next time.”

“Let’s take a break first,” the tall woman said as she grabbed water from the bench. “You aren’t drinking much today.” Really she has no idea, but it’s as good an excuse as any.”

“Alright.” Emmie plops down and drinks, silent. 

“So, how’s your mom?”

“Better. She’s still in the hospital wing.”

“Heard she caused quite a stir up there.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“You didn’t see it?”

“Yeah, I did.” Shrugs. 

Agent Thomas doesn’t know what else to say, so they go back to work, but Emmie’s concentration doesn’t improve.

-090-

The pizza was half cheese, half monstrosity as Kim called it. Shego had almost stuck her tongue out at that. 

The Doctor came, and the test begun. Shego made it to ten push ups before she called it quits.

“But, hey, you keep it up and you might make it out of here in another week.”

“A  _ week _ ? It’s just thirty push-ups, right?”

“No, that’s just the first part of the test. There’s also the half-mile run, the sit-ups and pull-ups, the stretching test and-”

“Ok, ok, I get it!” Glaring. “We’ll see about a week, though. Pfft.”

“Enjoy your pizza.”

At some point later.

“You are trying this,” Shego said as she speared a bite on her fork. “Seriously.”

“No, I’m not.”

“I like it.” Emmie.

“Open wide Princess.” Holding the fork out teasingly.

“Not a chance.”

“I’ll wrestle you down if you don’t and put it in your mouth.”

“Like you could.”

“You’re an arm down, Princess. I bet that evens the odds.”

“No.”

“Open up.” Trying to poke her in the face.

“Shego!” Dodges, then picks up the slice off of Shego’s plate and takes a bite. “There, happy?” Chews and swallows. “I mean, it’s good, I just prefer cheese by itself...”

Shego sticks the bite in her mouth and chews thoughtfully. “You owe me a bite of your pizza, Princess.”

“Why? You were offering me one of yours.”

“Yeah, but that’s not the bite I offered you. Give me your plate.”

Kim hands it over. Shego folds a slice in half and takes a bite out of the middle. “You’re a monster.”

“I’ve tried to take over the world, and this is what makes me a monster?”

“Yes. Emmie?”

“I’m taking her side,” Emmie said, jerking a thumb at Kim. “That was just weird.”

“Fine, I’ll keep it. You can have the slice you stole from me.”

“Fine.” They trade. 

The nurses are watching. Gossip grows.

-090-

“Emmie?”

“Mm?”

“Is...everything alright?”

“Yeah, it’s fine.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yeah.” Smiles. It seems a little off. But her mom did just almost die, so...

“Ok.”

Emmie sleeps with her again that night.

-090-

Shego’s therapist visits her the next day, fun conversation!

-090-

Skip through the rest of the hospital stay. On day 5, Shego completes the training. It is technically more out of breath than before, but the Doctor lets her pass and she gets to go back to the apartment. She’s still to spend a few hours in the sun every day for a few weeks. 

-090-

Emmie begins to draw away from Shego, Shego gives her space. She did almost die. 

-090-

Kim dreams about Shego coming out of the fire, and instead of collapsing kissing her.

-090-

Shego dreams about being protected by Kim.

-090-

In February, they manage to track something about the evidence to an abandoned research facility. Kim and Shego go with an escort, in an aircraft (large ones that take vehicles, Kim falls asleep and Shego lets her sleep on her shoulder. 

-090-

Discover evidence that they tried to clone Emmie from her blood, and failed, multiple times. She destroyed the paper trail, but left a sample of blood behind. It’s why it took so long to track Emmie down, and only because she got sick when she was 7 and needed blood work done at the local hospital. Everything that can be is packed up to be taken back to GJ and combed through by experts. Shego is pissed on the ride home.

-090-

Emmie withdraws more, and Shego is too upset to deal with it. Kim just tries to mediate the best she can.

-090-

Shego and her therapist meeting.

-090-

Kim’s birthday, planned by Ron. He gives Shego and Em a week’s notice so they won’t be surprised.

-090-

Ron probes KP about Shego after witnessing her at work between the two, gets a non-commital response.

-090-

Kim wants to wear something comfy, but her cast won’t fit through the sleeves of her favorite sweaters. Is throwing a bit of a fit about it. Shego throws her grey sweater at her, and...it fits over the cast. Is slightly too large for Kim, but there’s something adorable about the way it fits so no one minds. Kim wears it out to see Monique. When Kim gets back she tries to return it, and Shego tells her to keep it until her cast is off. Kim wears it until it no longer smells like Shego. 

-090-

Kim asks Monique about love, it’s near Valentine’s day, on one of their dinners together. Monique’s interest is peaked, but Kim insists it's more just about general love, not ‘romantic’ or anything like that. Right?

-090-

Shego makes cakes for Valentine’s day, Kim gets Emmie and Shego chocolate. They are both totally using the kid as an excuse. Shego’s chocolate is barely chocolate, it’s more all kinds of stuff in it. Kim’s cake is a boring yellow with chocolate icing. They’re both happy as can be.

-090-

KP is finally cleared to go back on duty, starts training with the girls immediately.

-090-

Kim returns Shego’s sweater now that her cast is off, Shego wears it almost immediately. ‘Forgot’ to wash it first. Emmie totally notices.

-090-

Dr. Director approaches Kim and Shego about partner training, and to Shego’s surprise Kim agrees. 

-090-

They are scarily good at the training.

-090-

Emmie’s still sleeping with Kim every night, and neither knows what to do about it.

-090-

Easter, kim heads to Montana for a week. Things are rocky between Em and Shego without Kim there to mediate. Emmie has a cellphone now, and texts Kim constantly. The twins wonder. 

-090-

Shego and her therapist again, about Emmie and Kim.

-090-

Emmie loses it at Shego. ‘Not my real mom’, ‘Kim’s a better mom than you’, ‘Why are you even still here, don’t you always leave?’ etc. Shego simply says, “Believe me, I know the wrong parent died. I’m sorry I can’t fix it.” Walks away. 

Kim and Will together work to bring it all back. 

-090-

Kim admits her attraction to Sabela to her therapist.

-090-

Shego picks up Kim’s leather jacket for the first time, and realizes it’s a real biker jacket. Asks her about it. Kim admits that she once road, a lot, had a bike, but her mom hated it. So after the accident...it seemed wrong to keep it. Disloyal. So she gave it away. But kept the coat, because it cost an arm and a leg and fit like a dream. Shego agrees. 

-090-

Shego asks to do something special for Em’s birthday, and they do.

-090-

K looks up Shego’s birthday afterwards, and does something special about it. A day in a jet.

-090-

Kim disappears one day, comes back very late. Shego and Emmie know where she went. She’s a little tipsy, part of the tradition is drinking her father’s favorite beer at his grave with the twins. The first real hug between the two, and verbal declaration that yeah, they’re friends. Shego makes sure Kim makes it to bed, then goes to sleep herself. 

-090-

Monique shows up at GJ the next day to check on Kim, tradition, and accidentally meets Sabela. Shego wears the watch all the time, but only uses it when necessary. Monique approves.

-090-

Tweebs visit for their birthday, Sabela is allowed to go out for the first time to dinner. 

-090-

For Kim’s week of enforced vacation, she takes Shego and Emmie out to a cabin on a lake. It’s got running water, but that’s pretty much it. Fishing. Canoeing on the lake. Shego is surprisingly squeamish about some things, but can cook amazingly well over a campfire. There is also hiking and a six or seven foot cliff to jump from. Everyone has a blast, and both Kim and Shego privately decide that they’re content with friendship. Why mess up a good thing? They discuss Shego’s family for the first time in any real detail. 

-090-

Kim and Shego fight, it’s huge and explosive. And then afterwards they hug and make up and move it. It becomes a routine. 

-090-

Run missions together from then on, highly effective with a high rate of success. 

-090-

Hego finds out about Shego, and comes to the GJ to see her. Catches her up on the family, and they talk things out a bit. They part on better terms than they’ve been in years. 

-090-

That fall, Emmie begins to take dance lessons. One of the agents takes her with their daughter to a nearby studio. There’s always three or four others nearby watching, just in case. Emmie also has a tracker on, and knows how to escape.

-090-

Kim’s arm begins to ache, she tries to keep it to herself.

-090-

Ron’s birthday? Roller skating, because he’s a dork! Sabela is allowed to come, and Monique comes too. Kim rollerblades, Sabela choses regular skates. Flirting/ not flirting. And Kim’s arm aching more.

-090-

After a nearly fumbled mission, Kim agrees to go see the GJ doctor. It’s a herniated muscle, so they’ll have to remove the pins. She’s being stood down for a few weeks to heal. She’s livid, because  _ why now _ when things are going so well? Shego lends her the cable sweater again, because it’s comfortable. Kim wears it on and off the whole time her arm is wrapped up. When Shego gets it back she wears it immediately, because now it smells like Kim. Casually mentions Kim can borrow it whenever she wants. 

-090-

Shego is injured on a mission, and Kim nearly doesn’t get the codes in time to get her bracelets off and let her heal. She gets Wade to make her a shortcut. 

-090-

Emmie starts making comments in spanish, assuming Kim doesn’t understand them as she never tries to reply in spanish. Kim does understand, but keeps it to herself as she’s not sure what to say. 

-090-

For Thanksgiving the Tweebs come in and they spend it together, all four of them. They do ask if Kim’s dating Sabela yet, and she yells at them for being nosy. They totally plot with Emmie. 

-090-

Surveillance mission, where they’re trying to blend into a biker convention that might be masking something more sinister. Kim and ‘Sabela’ are going on Kim’s old bike that the mechanics have held onto this whole time. It’s a day’s drive away, but Shego says she’d like to drive in if they can. Kim reminds her that it’s her bike and she’s driving. Shego just smiles. So that’s what they do. The convention is huge, and after parking they wander up and down and all around. Find a place to stay at a motel. Sabela has to wear the holowatch the whole time, even asleep, and it really bothers Kim. So she’s already being irritable. And then Shego starts flirting with everyone in sight. That doesn’t help. They have a few arguments, and are on the brink of a confession when-

-090-

GJ emergency call. Emmie was taken while at the dance studio. Shego about loses it. 

-090-

Rush back on the bike, Kim can feel Shego shaking. Tells her to hold on tight, they go way above the speed limit and make it back in record time. 

-090-

They have a fix, Emmie managed to keep her tracker on, and they go.

-090-

The tracker signal splits, and they have two targets. On Shego’s insistence, they split up. 

-090-

Kim finds Emmie, Shego finds a trap. 

-090-

Emmie is distraught and her powers awaken, allowing her and Kim to escape.

-090-

Kim tracks down Drakken, who always had a way to find Shego, when all their trackers go dark. Whoever took her knows GJ tech. Drakken reveals that he knew about Emmie and a lot more, gives Kim everything she needs. Letting others mess with villain’s kids is a dangerous precedent. 

-090-

Kim goes after Shego. It’s been less than a week, but she finds the woman in a terrible state. Emotional reunion. She goes to remove her limiters. “Don’t you need a code?” “Got it right here.” She kisses both bracelets, and they pop open. Then she kisses Shego. 

Shego burns the place to the ground, and GJ manages to capture some of those trying to escape. They round up the ‘big guys’, and Shego and Kim go home to safety once more. With the corp taken out, everyone is safe once more. Yay!

Kim and Shego are officially together, and Emmie has powers and two moms. It’s a pretty even trade, all round. 

The End


End file.
